Third Victim: Ran
by DetectiveLion
Summary: It started out as an ordinary day. It always does. No one ever expects disaster to strike them. So Ran Mouri was completely oblivious to the woman clad in black following close behind. Rated T for violence.
1. The Third Victim

**I do not own Aoyama Gosho's Detective Conan. As stated in the previous sentence, that belongs to Aoyama Gosho.**

"Tou-san, Conan-kun, I'm leaving!" Ran called as she headed out the door. A small bespectacled boy poked his head into the living room and flashed a smile at her.

"See you, Ran-neechan!" He said cheerfully. Ran smiled and waved before shutting the door. She turned around, immediately squinting as the sunlight hit her eyes. Though it was early, the sun had already risen and was beating down on Tokyo. A cool breeze swept by, plucking a few loose flower petals and scattering them everywhere. Her lips tweaked up into a wide grin as she hurried to her school. The weather was great and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. She had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

The day went by quickly. In no time, the bell had rung and school was dismissed. Sonoko immediately dragged Ran off to the mall to go shopping. Ran didn't buy anything, though she did see a silver necklace she loved, but her friend bought several pairs of earrings and a white dress. Something about wanting to impress Kaitou KID? Honestly, sometimes her friend seriously took her wealth (and her boyfriend) for granted.

They continued to walk, chatting idly about whatever popped into their heads until they reached the park. There, she and Sonoko parted ways. Alone now, Ran decided to cut across the park to take a shortcut. And as she walked, she didn't notice a woman clad in black sneaking up on her. Lost in her own thoughts, the high school girl walked next to a tall mesh fence.

All at once, the stranger grabbed both her arms and pinned her against the fence. Ran suddenly found her face pressed painfully against the wire, looking down at empty fields as she was held against her will. She struggled against the grip, only to be pressed even harder into the mesh. Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized that she couldn't break free. With only one thing left to do, Ran opened her mouth to scream. Before she could, the woman freed on hand and took out a syringe. She swiftly pierced Ran's skin with the needle and injected the liquid into her bloodstream. She gasped as all her muscles went limp. The woman let her fall to the ground, where she stared up at her attacker through hazy eyes.

"You have no idea how long it took me to get you alone," the woman sighed. "Just be grateful I drugged you, otherwise this would be _very _painful." She could only just make out the woman's face. She was dressed in all black, and seemed to have silvery-blond hair. With a smirk, the woman continued, "By the way, take my advice and don't tell anyone about this. You never know who's life you'll put at risk." Ran's mind swam with confusion. Or maybe it was just the effects of the drug. Before she lost consciousness, she felt a small capsule drop into her mouth, followed by water.

She involuntarily swallowed the pill. Just as she felt fire spread throughout her body, the drug took hold and she blacked out.

Ran's attacker straightened up, smirking to herself as steam curled off the girl's skin. In minutes, the gas thickened until her entire body was covered. When it cleared, a child was in Ran's place. Making sure no one was watching, she redressed Ran in better fitting clothes before leaving_. 'Well, Silver Bullet-kun? Let's see if you can solve this case.'_

* * *

Ran's eyes fluttered open. Everything was foggy, her vision clouded. Yawning, she blinked rapidly until she could see properly. Everything came into focus. She was in a dark room, lying on a couch. "Huh?" She murmured. When did she get here? The last thing she remembered was the park…

"Oh, you're awake?" An unfamiliar feminine voice jerked her back to reality. A woman stood in the doorway. As she walked closer, Ran saw she was probably in her late twenties or early thirties. She had long, light brown hair and dark eyes. Though she had casual clothes on, she wore a diamond necklace and earrings suggesting great wealth.

"Where am I?" Ran asked in a high pitched voice. She immediately froze. High pitched? Why was her voice so…? Her eyes traveled down to glance at herself. She was dressed in children's clothing, wearing a small blue shirt with Kamen Yaiba on it and jean shorts. Her hands and feet were tiny and her chest was completely flat.

Ran could feel herself begin to hyperventilate. She was a child. How was this possible? People don't just shrink! She recalled the mysterious woman, and her warning. _Don't tell anyone._

"You're in my house," the woman said, giving her a concerned look. "My husband found you passed out in the park, running a high fever. Can you tell me what's happened?"

Ran thought fast, quickly forming a story in her mind. "See, I've lived with my Obaa-san for years now. But she got sick and passed on, so now she's up with the stars." She decided to add a childish tone to the story. It seemed to work, because the woman immediately clapped her hands over her mouth and looked at her with pity. "Some scary men came to take me away but I didn't want to go, so I ran away. I used to live in Beika, so I bought a map and came here. It was _really_ hard to read the map. This is Beika, right Okaa-san?" She smiled childishly.

The woman suddenly enfolded Ran in a hug_. 'Wow, it's easy to get sympathy as a child.'_ Ran thought to herself. The woman straightened up, giving Ran a motherly smile. "That's right! This is Beika. What's your name?"

Ran's mind raced. "Rin!" She burst out. "My name's Akiyama Rin!"

The woman smiled. "My name's Tachibana Amaya. Call me Amaya-san, please. Can I call you Rin-chan?"

"Hai!" Newly-named Rin agreed. Amaya took Rin's hand and lead her into the kitchen, where a dark haired man was waiting. He introduced himself as Ichiro. Amaya and Ichiro exchanged glances and he glanced at the faux child.

"Rin-chan," he began. "Amaya and I've been thinking… if you don't have anywhere to go, how would you like to stay with us?"

The girl's eyes widened with genuine surprise. "R-really?" She squeaked. They smiled and nodded. "T-then… yes! Arigato!" Perhaps it was foolish, trusting complete strangers. But they seemed nice and if they were kidnappers, wouldn't they have tied her up or something?

_'Sorry, Tou-san.'_ she thought sadly to herself. Then she spoke up. "Can I use a phone? I need to tell my friends I'm ok. They'll be worried!" She smiled innocently and her new 'parents' smiled back. They handed her a phone and left her to chat in private.

Instead she placed the phone in its cradle and pulled out her own pink cell. It seemed that whoever had drugged her had taken the time to place it in her pockets before leaving.

_Rrrrrng!_

_Rrrrrrng!_

_Rrr-_

_"Moshi moshi! Edogawa Conan speaking!"_ A childish voice answered. Ran immediately put on a scratchy voice.

"Conan-kun?" She began.

_"Hai! Who's this?"_

"It's Ran."

_"Ran-neechan? You don't sound so good."_

Ran smiled bitterly to herself. If only he knew. "I caught a cold. Listen, Conan. I won't be able to come home for a while."

She could hear the alarm in his voice_. "Why? Is something wrong?"_

"No, no, it's fine. I signed up for an exchange program in America. Can you tell Tou-san? I don't think he remembers, since he was pretty drunk while signing the papers."

_"You're… leaving?"_

"Don't worry, I'll be back. But the program lasts for like… a year. Sorry, Conan-kun." There was silence on the other line. "Well I need to go! Oh, and don't call me from now on. I don't want to pay long-distance. But you can send texts. See you!" She hastily hung up before Conan could protest.

Rin sighed as she hung up_. 'Sorry, Conan-kun. But I can't put you and Tou-san in danger. Besides,'_ she thought with a grim smile_. 'I'll see you at school, anyway.'_

She scampered back into the living room where Amaya and Ichiro were waiting. They greeted her with wide smiles like she was their actual daughter. Falling into her new role, she allowed them to show her to her room, a spare one that had once been used for guests.

That night, Rin stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. _'Who was that woman, and how did I shrink? Did that pill have something to do with it? Will I return to my normal body?_'

She turned over, a tear tracing its way down her cheek. _'Shinichi... Where are you? I really need you now.'_

**Um, yay, new story! I'm still working on Shinichi's Return, don't worry. Just wanted to get started on another story. I've seen a few Ran shrink-fics lying around, most of them incomplete, so I wanted to write one of my own. Review, please!**


	2. A New Side of Conan

**No, I don't own any of the characters below except for Rin's parents. Nor do I own Detective Conan. Thanks for asking, though! Hehe.**

"Class, class! Settle down. We have a new student." Kobayashi sensei called. Immediately a hush fell over the class. Smirking, Haibara turned to Conan.

"Who's it gonna be this time?" She asked quietly. "A victim, an escapee, or an agent of the Black Org?"

The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes and hissed back, "Well, I would hope none of the above. I wouldn't mind a normal kid joining this class."

Though he didn't know it, his hopes were about to be crushed. For just then, Rin Akiyama, formerly Ran Mouri, stepped into the classroom.

It had been about a week since she was shrunk. As Ichirou filled out her paperwork for Teitan Elementary, Amaya bought new clothes and furniture for Rin. It turned out that Ichirou was a famous software designer, her adoptive parents were very rich. They had originally planned to put Rin in a private school. However, she argued against this vehemently, and instead they enrolled her in her old Elementary School.

"Hello!" Rin smiled. "I'm Rin Akiyama, nice to meet you!" She bounced slightly in apparent excitement. A babble rose up in the classroom. Genta leaned over to whisper to Mitsuhiko, "She's cute."

The freckled boy began nodding in agreement, but stopped when he remembered Haibara. Conan only rolled his eyes_. 'You're too young to be thinking like that!'_ he scoffed to himself. He looked at the transfer student. Her hair was straight with a curl at the tips, probably styled beforehand. She had bright green eyes and was wearing a short and childish red dress._ 'Although, she is pretty cute. She'll probably be really pretty when she- Oi! What are you thinking, Kudo? She's a child!'_

Feeling embarrassed, he tuned out the rest of Genta and Mitsuhiko's conversation as Kobayashi sensei continued. "Now we need to find a place for you to sit... How about by Conan-kun? Conan, raise your hand." Hearing his name, the boy stuck a hand in the air.

_'Darn it, sensei!_ _That's the last place I want to be!' _Rin thought to herself. She had changed her hairstyle and even found colored contacts lying around in Amaya's bathroom to disguise herself. All the same, she was worried that Conan would recognize her, though he had never seen her as a child. With a feeling of dread, she went to go sit by Conan. The teacher then said, "Be careful, though. Conan and his friends have a reputation for getting into trouble after school."

She heard Ayumi's protesting voice. "That's because we're solving crimes!" The small girl turned to the new student. "My name's Ayumi. This is Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun, Conan-kun, and Ai-chan! We're the Shounen Tantei-dan!"

Kobayashi sensei quickly overrode them before a conversation could break out. She knew how this would go. Genta would claim to be the leader and Mitsuhiko would say he's the smart one. Then they would start arguing while Ayumi claimed Conan was the real leader of their group. Pretty soon the whole class would join in while Conan and Haibara both sat there looking bored and exasperated.

"Alright, class! Shall we show Rin-chan around the school?"

"Hai, sensei!"

Rin found herself forced to join in as the class ran towards the hall where their teacher was waiting. "Come on, Rin-chan!" Ayumi called as she scampered off with the rest of her ground. Soon it was just her and Conan.

The dark haired boy was looking at her strangely. Beginning to feel uncomfortable, she began, "You're... Conan-kun... right?"

"You don't like me, do you?" He said bluntly. She stared in shock. He yawned briefly, his eyes falling shut behind his glasses. "The moment sensei announced your seat, you looked really unhappy and nervous. Not that I care, everyone has first impressions." He shrugged before looking at her again with unreadable eyes.

Rin shook her head quickly. "No, it's not that! Just... meeting new people. I'm kind of nervous. Sorry if you got the wrong idea."

Conan looked at her curiously. She got the odd feeling that he was scanning her words for lies. "Alright, I'll believe that. Nice to meet you... Rin-chan?" She smiled and nodded.

"Conan-kun, Rin-chan! Hurry up!" The teacher's voice called. Immediately Conan's serious expression melted away and became carefree and happy. It was scary to watch. Like a mask sitting on a desk, waiting to be put on, his childish guise lurked right beneath the surface.

"Coming, sensei!" He called back, his voice rising in pitch. He ran out the door with Rin close behind.

_...'Conan-kun?'_

The tour went by quickly. Soon the bell for recess tolled and everyone went outside. Rin joined the Shounen Tantei, deciding it would be easiest to stick with them. Her eyes followed Conan-kun as she waited for him to come over.

To her surprise, he ignored them and retrieved a soccer ball from a basket. He then headed off towards the field.

Turning to the others, she said, "Isn't Conan-kun going to join us?"

They shrugged. "He's been pretty upset lately. Something about his Nee-Chan going to America," Mitsuhiko told her.

"It's really no surprise. Edogawa-kun has always been protective of Mouri-san. Now that he can't even call her, he's bound to be upset." Rin looked up in surprise as Haibara spoke.

_'Was he really that attached to me? I mean, he's thrown himself in danger multiple times for me but...' _She realized that he hadn't just gotten in trouble. He had outright risked his life to save her. She felt a small pang of guilt for this. When she got home, she'd have to text him.

But for now...

She quickly dismissed herself and ran over to Conan. He was standing on the grassy field, bouncing the soccer ball with the skill of a seasoned player_. Thump-pa bump! _Went the ball as it sprang off his feet, ankles, knees, head. He didn't seem to notice Rin as the small girl approached.

"Ah, Conan-kun?" She began. He didn't even fumble as he turned his head to look at her. His expression was stricken with worry. Rin nearly gasped out loud in her astonishment. As he noticed her presence, the stress melted off his face and was replaced with a bright grin.

"What is it, Rin-chan?" He replied with false cheer. She narrowed her eyes.

"Don't pretend to be happy. I heard about your Nee-Chan leaving, and it was obvious that you're worried."

_Thump-ba bmp bmp... _The ball bounced off his ankle and drifted into the grass. Rin bent down to stop its progress as it rolled by her. A small smirk appeared on Conan's face as he gazed at her with shock gleaming in his eyes.

"I guess I underestimated you. You notice more than most people." He sighed and collapsed into the grass. She sat beside him, remaining silent. "Worried, is an understatement. Ran Nee-Chan isn't my older sister, but we're close. Or at least, in my opinion. I don't know what she thinks of me by now." He chuckled harshly. Rin blinked, surprised.

_'She might hate me, after all. She has no idea that Shinichi Kudo is actually the victim of a crime organization.'_ He sighed and continued. "Anyway, I guess she's part of some exchange program to America. But she's the daughter of Mouri Kogoro, the famous detective. Lots of people have a reason to hate her. Relatives and friends of the people her father's arrested could want to take revenge on her. Before now, I've been able to keep an eye on her. But she's in another continent now! I have no way to make sure she's safe." Well, it wasn't all lies. He _was _worried about criminals in America. But his thoughts were mainly on the Black Org.

Rin wasn't sure if she should laugh or seize Conan by the shoulders and shake him silly. _'So, along with wondering if I care about him, he's now under the impression that a seven year old can take better care of me than I can.'_

She leaned back in the grass, using her arms as a pillow as she looked up at the sky. "Well... your Nee-Chan can probably take care of herself. If she's old enough to go to America alone, then she knows to stay away from danger, ne?"

Conan smiled to himself. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. She does know karate, after all." He laughed and relaxed. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For listening. Most kids don't understand this kind of stuff. Well... I suppose Haibara does, but she's not exactly the best at soothing your fears." He laughed dryly. "There's something about you, Rin-chan. You're different from the others."

"Hey!"

"In a good way!" He added hastily. She laughed and he grinned. "For some reason it feels like I've met you before. But I'm pretty sure I'd remember someone like you."

Rin shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe we've met before and never got the chance to talk. Either way, it's nice to meet you, Conan-kun."

"Same here, Rin-chan."

Both of them fell silent and remained lying there until the bell rang and they had to return to class. As Conan got to his feet and began walking back towards the school, Rin was lost in thought.

_'I've seen a new side to Conan-kun. He's not the little kid I've always believed him to be. For some reason, he hides this side of himself from me and who knows who else?'_

Still absorbed with her thoughts, she got up and chased after the boy she considered to be her little brother.

Genta and Mitsuhiko took a deep breath.

_**"HEY EVERYONE! CONAN HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"**_

_"What?"_ Conan shrieked, his voice rising several octaves.

The entire class stared in shock. Conan Edogawa, ace detective, top of the class, leader of the Shounen Tantei had a _girlfriend?_ Between his detective work and soccer skills, Conan had earned himself several fangirls within the first grade. But he had never even looked at them twice. Many people said he was acting cool until he decided to finally claim a girl. Most bets were on Ayumi or Haibara. It was common knowledge in the class that both girls hung out with him on a near daily basis, and both were considered extremely cute.

Because of this, Conan's amount of fangirls was about equal to his amount of rivals. No one had dared to challenge him, other than Genta and Mitsuhiko. It was pretty much obvious that there wasn't a single person in this school to rival his detective skills. And no one was going to touch "Soccer" with a ten foot pole. After splitting a tree in half, his shoes had gained a fair amount of infamy within his grade.

So when Genta and Mitsuhiko announced he had finally chosen his girl, all eyes went to Ayumi and Haibara.

Who were standing side by side at their desks.

Finally, one person found Conan. "IT'S RIN-CHAN!" An unnamed boy screamed. Sure enough, they found Conan and Rin standing side by side at the door with looks of pure shock on their reddening faces.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi cried. Haibara only cocked an eyebrow.

"No, it's not that!" Conan protested angrily_. 'I love Ran, not some random transfer student!_

_'Eeeew, they think I'm dating Conan?'_ Rin thought. "Hang on!" She spluttered. "Aren't we a little... you know, _young _to be dating?"

Their arguments were promptly ignored as the Ayumi and Haibara lovers cheered, while those interested in Rin crept off to sit dejectedly in a corner.

Suddenly something crashed into Conan. He stumbled back as Ayumi tackled the boy, clinging desperately. "Nooo, Conan-kun is mine!" She wailed.

"Why me?" Conan moaned.

**Haha, I had to add this. This story is mostly for fun, it's meant to be a cute and easy read, perhaps a bit fluffy. If you don't like fluffy, don't read. Though it will have some conflict later on, I promise.**


	3. Rin's First Case

It was only Rin's second day at Teitan Elementary. She had ran out of the house, carrying a small backpack as she called over her shoulder, "Bye Kaa-san!" It had taken some time for Rin to get used to calling Ichirou and Amaya 'Tou-san' and 'Kaa-san.' Each time she said that, she felt a pang of guilt for her real mother and father. She wasn't sure how her dad was taking her absence. Did he believe her story about the exchange program? Did he miss her?

_'Well, I know he misses my cooking,'_ she thought to herself, a small smirk working its way onto her face. In fact... she'd have to keep an eye on Conan's nutrition. If she knew her father, they'd be eating fast food every night.

And it wasn't like she could ask her mother to cook for Conan. First of all, she didn't live in Tokyo. Another problem was that Eri Kisaki was notorious for her cooking. It had actually been a spat over her bad cooking that drove Eri and Kogoro to divorce.

Rin sighed to herself. Maybe she could sneak some extra food into her bento and give it to him at lunch? That might work... but if Genta and Mitsuhiko caught them, the rumor about them dating would only increase.

The shrunken teen only scowled at that thought. Her and Conan? Dating? Wouldn't that make her a pedophile? _'If Shinichi could see me now, he'd be laughing his head off.'_ She thought to herself. She had no idea how wrong she was.

"For the last time, Rin is NOT my girlfriend!" As Rin came into Kobayashi's class, she was greeted by Conan's voice. Genta was grinning leeringly at him, and Mitsuhiko was nowhere to be seen. Ayumi was standing beside Conan, a bit too close for his comfort.

She nodded vigorously at his words. "That's right!" She squeaked. Rin smirked to herself. Ayumi's crush on Conan had been obvious since the first time they met. Perhaps it was his 'detective' status that spurred this on. She had to think that Ayumi was jumping to conclusions. Admiration didn't necessarily mean love.

_'If that's true, then what made you like Shinichi?'_ That thought made her stop. Though she often claimed to be annoyed by his detective work, she did find his skills impressive. And he was undoubtedly very athletic. And got excellent grades. Though he had gotten arrogant as his publicity skyrocketed, he stilled remained as kind as ever. And Shinichi did have good looks.

_'And would you quit singing his praises? He was bad enough before! If that Mystery-Otaku finds out his childhood friend is thinking this way, his head will only swell up even more.' _She chuckled quietly to herself.

"Um, Rin-chan? I'm sure whatever you're thinking of is funny, but you're blocking the door." She jumped as Conan suddenly appeared before her, an amused smirk on his face. Blushing slightly, she quickly moved out of the way. The boy nodded gratefully and exited the class, walking down the hall casually.

Still embarrassed, she went to join Genta and Ayumi. A few minutes later, Mitsuhiko also joined them, along with Conan. The bell rang, and Kobayashi sensei came into the class.

As soon as roll was taken, sheets of paper were passed out to each student. Rin found herself staring down at a small list of Kanji. They were instructed to trace out the symbols, and Rin spent the next few minutes scratching out basic words she had learned years before.

"You're pretty good at this," Conan whispered. Several of the Detective Boys shot him confused glances as he spoke. Conan... never... spoke in class. Only to Haibara, and even that was rare.

Genta and Mitsuhiko exchanged triumphant glances, while Ayumi gazed on mournfully. Feeling both alarmed and amused, she murmured back, "My Obaa-san used to give me lessons to prepare for school. I'm really good at Kanji now."

The child next to her nodded slowly before returning to his work. He had already gone through several sheets, and was now finishing up the final one. After placing them in a neat stack in the corner of his desk, he pulled a book out of his desk. The first of the Night Baron series.

"Huh, you like the Night Baron series?" She asked.

He glanced up at her briefly before returning to the novel. "Hai. I normally read Holmes, but I've just reread the series. Have you read this before?" His voice was doubtful.

She shook her head quickly. That would be too suspicious. "Nah, that's another thing from my Obaa-san. She used to read the books at night. The man on the cover scares me. His mask is creepy." Rin abruptly changed the subject as she referred to the Night Baron himself. He wore a white mask with a sadistic grin for a mouth. It was true, the image had always made her shiver when she was younger.

Conan only shrugged. "That's the point. Though I _have_ been pretty scarred by that mask." She looked at him curiously, and he continued with a sigh.

**(A/K: This is basically Conan recounting the time when his parents disguised themselves and pretended to kidnap him. If you don't want to read this, scroll until you reach the next bolded text.)**

"My parents and... Shinichi Nii-san's parents pulled a prank on me. My Kaa-san disguised herself with Yukiko-san's help. She came to pick me up in disguise, and I didn't know. Naturally, I thought it was a kidnapper. You have no idea how panicked I was when Ran Nee-Chan let them take me away." His lip twitched as though fighting between a grin and a grimace. Rin felt a pang of guilt.

"It's funny, actually. I made the car swerve in the middle of the street- thank God I didn't hit anyone- and jumped out. I ran to Agasa-Hatake's place, he's a relative of mine. But he wasn't home and they drugged me, making me pass out. When I woke up, I found myself in an abandoned building, completely tied up. When I looked through a hole in the door, I could see the woman and a man disguised as the Night Baron talking."

Rin's eyes widened as he continued with his story. "They talked about testing a new kind of poison on someone. If it worked, they said they would kill me. As I pretended to be asleep, they mentioned making a deal at 1:00 the next day. That night, while they were sleeping, I found a wine bottle and a towel. I managed to wrap the bottle with the towel to muffle the noise and smashed it against the wall with my foot. Using a shard of the glass, I cut the ropes and freed myself.

"I covered up the spilled wine and hid. The next morning, they found out I had escaped. Originally, they believed I had jumped out the window and a snowfall had covered my tracks. But I was still in the room. The masked man was smarter than I'd given him credit for, he realized it was a set up. He smashed some things up as he told me to come out, threatening to kill me. I could hear the click of a gun as the man yanked open the refrigerator and prepared to shoot me.

"I wasn't there. I was actually hiding in a safe under the floorboards. Deciding I had escaped after all, he and the woman left. Now, a normal person would run, right? Go to the police? I couldn't do that. They mentioned a poison, and I couldn't risk anyone being killed. So instead I followed them. I found out that they were at the Beika Hotel. My clues were "Beika Hotel" and the number "30."

"I overheard someone talking about a parking lot. Getting an idea, I went to the parking garage and found the number 30. At first I didn't see anything unusual. But then a huge man came out, hiding his face. He glanced at the 30 and left. On closer inspection, I saw there was a '1' next to the 30. The people were in room 301."

He grinned as he recounted the tale, noting with satisfaction that Rin was hanging onto his every word. "In order to sneak into the room, I ordered room service. The woman answered the door. While they talked, I hid behind the door and stuck gum in the keyhole to stop the auto lock. As they wheeled in the cart, I snuck in and hid in a closet. However, the Night Baron was too smart to be fooled. He found the gum and discovered my plan.

"Suddenly the doors were thrown open and I could see the Night Baron grinning down at me." Unknowingly, Conan had begun to add drama to his tale. "He held his gun to my head. I had no weapons to use, and I thought then 'This is it. I'm going die.' Then he pulled the trigger."

Rin's eyes were wide as saucers. She was on the edge of her seat as the boy's voice fell into a whisper. "Then... a sticky dart hit me." He deadpanned. Rin stared.

"Huh?" She said. He grinned.

"It was a prank, remember? Truthfully, the man behind the mask was Shinichi Nii-san's Tou-san, and the woman was my Kaa-san. The large man from the parking garage was actually Agasa-Hatake." He chuckled. "They had me fooled. Back then I was pretty ticked, but now I can see it as a decent joke. But I did get my revenge. Yusaku-san is a writer, so I had Shinichi Nii-san call his publishers." A smirk lifted his lips and Rin giggled.

**(A/K Alright, back to the main story)**

"Well, well, Conan-kun. I didn't know you were such a good snoop." His head snapped up as Kobayashi sensei spoke. Without realizing it, his voice had risen in his excitement and the entire class had begun to listen in. He flushed slightly. "And you have a mean streak. Calling an author's publishers? Not nice." She grinned at the mini detective.

"Oi, don't listen in to other people's conversations," he muttered.

"That's a bit hard to do when someone is practically screaming for attention. 'This is it. I'm going to die!'" Haibara mimicked. He shot her a glare as his classmates sniggered.

Ayumi leaped to his defense. "Well I think he was very brave! How many of you would actually go chasing after criminals instead of calling the police?" The laughs ceased at that. With a triumphant smile, the girl returned to her Kanji writing.

"Well, Kudo-kun. Looks like you could be an author if your detective career doesn't work out." Haibara whispered.

"Shaddup," was all he said.

The rest of the day dragged on slowly, and Rin was eternally grateful for the shortened grade school days. Going over kanji and math skills she had learned ten years ago wasn't exactly enlightening.

They had been walking home when it happened. It came out of the blue, as all crimes did, and without a single warning. One moment, they had been chatting together. Conan and Haibara hung at the back of the group, speaking in hushed whispers. Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko all chatted about the latest Kamen Yaiba episode. Rin only hovered in the middle, not sure which group to join.

Suddenly there was a scream. "No! Mimi-chan!" The six of them all whipped around in time to see a man dressed in a trench coat, hat, and glasses holding a small child with a knife pressed to her neck. His other hand had a card extended. The one who had cried out was most likely the girl's mother, a young, long haired woman.

"Take the card. Read it, memorize it, and no one call the police. If I see officers, the girl dies." With that, he took off running.

Conan took instant action. "You guys go see what happened to the woman!" He told them before chasing after the kidnapper.

"Conan-kun!" Rin gasped. Without thinking, she followed him. He was incredibly fast for a child, somehow managing to keep up with a fully grown man. She herself was in decent shape from her karate, but not nearly as good a runner. She found herself quickly lagging behind, but the need to protect Conan drove her on.

All the same, they soon dropped out of sight, leaving Rin to run at a child's pace. Her breath came in short gasps as she struggled to maintain her speed. Blinking rapidly, she rounded a corner.

A hand clapped over her mouth and she was yanked forward. She suddenly found herself being held by Conan, a hand clamped over her mouth as he motioned for her to stay quiet. At a nod from the girl, he removed his hand and stared forward.

They were at an old apartment complex. It was scheduled for demolition next month. The boy beside Rin crept forward silently, beckoning to her. Trying to copy his movements, she tiptoed after him.

They approached a window, Conan standing on tiptoes to peer inside. Rin joined him, her small fingers pressing against the dusty glass. Though their view was obscured slightly by a thin layer of grime, they could hazily see the kidnapper inside. He had placed the girl on the ground, and was saying something to the sobbing child.

Conan pressed his ear to the glass, trying to listen to his words.

"-so sorry. I promise I won't hurt you. I just need the money." Conan's eyes widened at that. He had been bluffing! It was clear from his tone that he had no intention to hurt the child he had taken.

"Come on, Rin." He said, stepping away from the glass. She looked at him curiously as he marched right up to the front door and pushed it open.

The man whirled around, grabbing Mimi. "Who's there? Stay back or the child gets it!"

Conan grinned as he replied, "Gets what? A knife pressed to her neck and a fake threat? I heard you speaking, Jii-san. You won't hurt Mimi-chan, will you?" The kidnapper gaped as Conan walked forward.

"What do you need the money for? It must be important to kidnap a child."

The man before them suddenly released Mimi, falling back with a defeated air. "My daughter," he rasped. "She's in the hospital waiting for a surgery, but I don't have the money to pay. My wife and I got a divorce and I can't find her anywhere!" He slammed a despairing fist against the wood floor, gritting his teeth.

"Ojii-san," Conan began. "What's your wife's name?" He looked up at the boy in confusion. The bespectacled kid sighed impatiently and explained, "I know someone with connections to the police. If I explain the situation, we can find your wife."

Hope shone in the man's eyes. "Her name is Hinata Watanabe."

Conan nodded. "Rin-chan, I need you to stay with Mimi-chan. She's pretty scared." Rin almost protested, but had to admit that the girl needed comforting. As she went over to Mimi, Conan stepped out of the building and dialed a number on his second cell phone. And so she didn't see as he turned the dials on his bow tie and held it up to his mouth to speak.

"Hello, Migure-keibu? This is Shinichi Kudo.

He grinned in triumph as he snapped his cell shut and shoved it in his pocket. Conan turned around and strode back inside, a wide smirk on his face. "Good news, Jii-san! We found your wife, and she agreed to pay the hospital bill for your daughter. Though you're going to have to turn yourself into the police now."

The man nodded gratefully, just relieved that the problem had been solved. Soon the police arrived, taking the kidnapper with them. He went willingly, flashing a smile full of gratitude towards Rin and Conan. Some minutes later, Mimi's mother and the rest of the Shounen Tantei showed up. The mother and daughter were reunited tearfully, and the group was fervently thanked.

"Glad that's over," Conan sighed some time later as he rested on a park bench. Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi all scowled at him.

"Why do you always get in the action?" Genta whined. Conan rolled his eyes.

"It's not like we did much," he sighed. "I just ran after him, tracked him to the abandoned building, and talked him out of the kidnapping."

The three relented at that, though they still wore dissatisfied frowns. Suddenly Conan turned to Rin. "Say, Rin. You did a good job today, quick reactions. Would you... Would you like to join the Shounen Tantei?"

Once again Conan received four incredulous stares. Conan... _never_... invited someone into their group. He hardly even referred to it by name! And then, in class, he had been chatting with this new girl. What was with his odd behavior...?

"CONAN'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND!" Genta and Mitsuhiko yelled simultaneously. The boy flushed red and immediately began denying this, shouting angrily at the cackling boys.

_'What's with you, Kudo-kun?' _Haibara wondered to herself. _'Why are you acting like this for an elementary school girl?'_

"I'll join!" The chaos stopped. Five faces turned to look at the speaker. "I'll join the Shounen Tantei," Rin decided.

A grin appeared on Conan's face. "Any objections?" He asked. There were none. The dark haired boy turned to Rin again, his grin fading into a soft smile. "Welcome to the group."

**The kidnapping was more of an excuse to get Rin to join the Shounen Tantei than to give them a case. That's the reason behind the easy resolution. Sorry!**


	4. Long Hair, Green Eyes

"Conan does not love Rin! He can't!"

"Quiet, Ayumi."

"Well, Edogawa-kun. Seems like I won't need to make an antidote at this rate."

"Shut up, Haibara."

"I can't believe Conan of all people actually has a crush on someone!"

"Shut _up_, Mitsuhiko."

"Conan's got at girl~friend!"

_"I'm warning you, Genta, you better shut up right now!"_

"Ohayou! What's up?"

"DAMMIT, SHUT UP, RIN- Rin! I'm so sorry, these idiots here were being brats-"

"I find it ironic that you're calling us brats. Aren't you the one who started making threats because of a bit of harmless teasing?"

"Shut up, Haibara."

Silence. Conan glared around at his friends, shoulders tense. Mitsuhiko and Genta wore the wicked grins that were slowly becoming more and more familiar. Haibara had her usual scornful smirk. Ayumi was clinging to Conan's arm as he vainly tried to pull away.

Rin noted that she had seen this image multiple times before.

Unsure how to reply, she decided to ignore the argument. Instead, she said, "You really shouldn't curse, Conan-kun."

Genta jumped in. "If you think that's bad, you should hear what he says during cases! He's always saying the S-word and once even the F-word!"

The long haired girl gasped aloud, shooting a look at Conan. "Sorry," He sighed and then looked up at the group. "Alright, let's go." He turned to the doors behind them and entered the Mouri Detective Agency.

It had been about two weeks since Rin enrolled in Teitan Elementary. Things were beginning to fall into a familiar rhythm from ten years ago. Each morning from Monday to Friday, she'd wake up and go to school. She'd do her work in class, maybe answer a few questions, and hang out with her friends. _'Actually,'_ she thought_. 'This is a lot more familiar than I thought. Being around Conan is like being around Shinichi.'_

So today was Saturday, the second weekend since she had enrolled. And Conan had invited them to the Mouri Detective Agency.

Rin was completely freaking out.

At first she had wanted to refuse the offer. But when Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi threatened to drag to the Agency, she agreed. So now she was staring at the front doors of her old home, knees shaking.

"You okay?" Conan asked. She jumped.

"Y-yeah. I'm just nervous. Meeting someone famous, you know!"

Genta grinned, "We meet famous people all the time! Conan's Kaa-san is famous, and we even got to sing on stage with Two-Mix!"

Conan facepalmed. "For the last time, Yukiko –san is not my Kaa-san! I'm the grandson of the uncle of the daughter of the brother of her father!" He got several blank stares and lifted a defiant eyebrow. He then grinned at Rin and whispered, "Don't worry, Occhan's really not all that special. When he's not solving a case, he's either drunk, watching Yoko, or both."

Rin resisted the urge to leap to her father's defense_. 'So that's how kids think of him? Somehow, I feel sad now.'_

"And what might you be saying to Rin-chan that you do not want us to hear?" Haibara asked, smirking. Genta and Mitsuhiko took their cue.

"CONAN'S GOT A-"

The boy grabbed Rin and fled inside. He closed the door hurriedly and leaned against the wall. "I wish they would quit that." He sighed, cheeks pink. Rin could feel her own face gaining heat.

"Y-yeah. It's really annoying." She agreed.

Both of the stared at the ground. "Besides, I've already promised someone I'd wait for them." Both children said. And both children gasped, clapped their hands over their mouths, and looked at each other.

"What...?" Rin began.

"Did you say?" Conan finished. They continued staring, bright cerulean eyes meeting false forest green.

A series of loud sniggers interrupted them. "My, my," Haibara drawled. "What a lovely scene. Two lovers, staring into each other's eyes, silently realizing their feelings for the one beside them." The giggles erupted into laughs as Conan and Rin flushed identical shades of red.

"Whatever," Conan growled, brushing past them. Rin stared at Conan.

_'He loves someone?'_ she wondered with a pang of sadness. _'I really don't know anything about Conan. Have I even asked about his childhood friends? Or his parents, school, home, siblings, anything? I think of him like a little brother, but I haven't been a very good older sister... And... why does this make me so sad?'_

"You really shouldn't." A voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see she and Haibara were alone.

"Shouldn't what?" Rin asked.

The light haired girl sighed before looking Rin straight in the eye. "Don't fall for Edogawa-kun. He's already dedicated his heart to another."

Rin let out a long breath of air. Then she flashed her companion a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't. I've already promised to wait for someone, the same way he has." With that, she turned around and skipped after her elementary school friends, putting an extra spring in her step.

Haibara stared after her with narrowed eyes_. 'Don't be so sure. You and Kudo-kun seem to be naturally attracted to one another. I just hope you don't make the mistake of falling for him.'_

When Rin bounced into the living room, she nearly fell over laughing. Conan was standing on her father's desk, shaking the sleeping man with as much strength and violence as a seven year old could muster. "Wake up! OI! OCCHAN!"

Glowering, he jumped down and turned to Genta. "Can I borrow your badge?" He asked. The large boy wordlessly unpinned his Shounen-Tantei badge and handed it to Conan. Mischief danced in the smaller boy's eyes as he clambered back on the desk and held the badge right up to Kogoro's ear. He took a deep breath.

"WAKE UP!" Everyone jumped as Conan's voice blasted out of Genta's badge, the volume magnified at least three times louder than usual.

"YOU DAMN BRAT!" Kogoro roared, waking instantly. The bespectacled detective leaped off the table to avoid his fist, landing with a slight stumble.

Conan glared at the man. "You have a case, remember? You're going to be late!"

Kogoro cursed. Rin narrowed her eyes. So that was the cause of Conan's foul language. "Damn. Migure'll be furious if I don't get to that serial murder case…"

Blue eyes went wide. "Serial murder?" Conan growled. The older detective swore again as Conan turned to his friends. "Alright, you guys need to go," he commanded.

Haibara only shrugged as she turned and left without question, while Rin only watched silently. The other three erupted in protests as Conan began pushing them out the door. "You're… not… going to... a murder case." He grunted. It wasn't that hard to get Mitsuhiko and Ayumi out the door, but Genta was a problem. The overweight kid stood his ground as Conan tried vainly to move him.

The mini detective let out a groan. "I'll let you three do the deduction show for the next case we get." The three kids beamed.

"Deal!" They chorused, scampering away.

Conan slumped against the wall. "Jeez, bribery's the only way." He then turned to Kogoro, seeming to have forgotten about Rin. "Occhan, can I come? Please?"

"Yeah right! I'm not bringing a brat to a murder scene," Kogoro growled.

A small smirk appeared on Conan's face. "I'll tell Ran Nee-chan you've been canceling cases to watch Yoko." Kogoro's face paled at the thought. Angry Ran was not something he could deal with. Muttering under his breath, he walked grabbed his coat and walked outside, Conan following close behind.

Out of habit, Rin chased after them. Remembering how Conan had snuck into the car many times before, she followed them slowly. As Conan opened his door and Kogoro went around the side, Rin hopped in the front passenger seat.

They were several miles down the road when the car suddenly started beeping. "Door's ajar," He grunted, turning to look at the seat beside him. And he saw a little girl sitting in it. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" he snarled.

Conan peered into the seat, eyes widening in horror. "Rin?" he spluttered.

"You know her?"

"Y-yeah. She's a new friend from school. What are you doing here, Rin-chan?"

'_Acting on impulse.'_ She thought. Instead of saying this, she beamed and said, "I'm following you! I want to see the Sleeping Kogoro!"

Conan nearly shrieked at her. "There won't _be_ a Sleeping Kogoro! This is a _Serial Muder_! You could get hurt, or even killed! As if Genta and the others aren't bad enough, you need to do this too?"

"Why not?" Rin asked innocently. "You're going, and I'm just as old as you." 'Actually, I'm ten years older.'

He gave her a glare that made her freeze. "Because," he said through gritted teeth. "I know how to deal with these people. I can actually defend myself if attacked."

'_Can he?'_ She knew Agasa-hakase had enhanced his glasses to track the badges of his friends, but surely they wouldn't help against a criminal? After all, no one would give a weapon to a child, even if it was for self defense.

"Well, this is all swell and nice, but could _somebody please explain why there're two brats in my car?"_ Both kids jumped as Kogoro suddenly snapped. Glaring, Rin reached out and pinched him hard on the cheek. "OW!" He yelped, rubbing the spot. He looked tempted to hit her, but didn't. After all, she'd go squeal to her parents and then who knew what would happen?

'_That's for calling me a brat,'_ Rin thought smugly, though with a pang of sadness. She even missed her dad's irritating personality. Despite his initial anger, Conan chuckled. He had wanted to do that for a long time now. Hitting him with a stunning needle wasn't the same, since Kogoro only passed out and didn't remember anything. It wasn't as fulfilling to only watch, but much better than nothing.

He fell silent as Kogoro shot him a glare in the mirror, averting his eyes and letting out a whistle just for kicks. He smirked to himself at the outraged look reflected back at him.

When the trio arrived at Beika Hotel, Juzo Megure and his officers were ready and waiting. The Inspector's eyes widened at the sight of Conan and Rin, then he sighed. Kogoro was constantly bringing Conan and friends to his cases, and they actually did help. Though most of the kids just got in the way, Conan and that scary-eyed girl… Haibara?... Anyway, Conan and Haibara pointed out small yet important details his squad had overlooked.

As he looked over the small girl accompanying Conan, he realized that, while she looked somewhat familiar, he had never met her before. The bespectacled boy caught his eye, and soon Conan had scurried over to him. "Megure-keibu! Occhan said there's a serial murderer running around."

Megure sent a hard look towards Kogoro. "Did he now?"

Conan smiled and bobbed his head. "Yup! So what happened, Megure-keibu?"

"Conan-kun, kids shouldn't get involved. This is a serial murder, you could get hurt."

'_That's exactly what I told Rin,'_ Conan sighed to himself, slightly exasperated. One would think that after months of steering investigations in the right direction, Megure would finally take a hint and let him on the scene. Nope!

Grumbling, Conan turned around and began marching back towards Rin. Noting his disgruntled expression, Rin opened her mouth to ask what was bothering him. Before she could, his blue eyes found another person to interrogate. Grinning, he scampered towards Officer Sato.

"Sato-keiji! Can you tell me what happened?" The pretty officer looked down as Conan approached. She immediately smiled at the sight of the familiar boy.

"Hi, Conan-kun! Tripping over bodies as usual, eh?" She laughed at his immediate scowl. "Kidding, kidding. Ah, the serial murders? It seems girls with long hair and green eyes are being targeted this time. So far there's been three victims, two of them murders." She frowned. "Each person was killed with a shot to the heart, and an X slashed onto their back."

Conan's eyes immediately narrowed in thought. Remembering Sato was beside him, he smiled up at her and said, "Thanks Sato-keiji!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rin shuffling around, unsure what to do.

"Ah, who's this?" Sato asked, also noticing the girl. Rin smiled at the officer.

"Akiyama Rin!" She chimed. "I'm Conan-kun's friend!"

"Nice to meet you, Rin-chan!" Sato replied with equal enthusiasm. Conan rolled his eyes.

"Er, Sato-keiji. There was a victim here, right? Who was it?" He asked quickly. Sato was reckless and wild while chasing a criminal, but also seemed to have a soft spot for children. She had even let the Shounen Tantei tag along during a date at Tropical Land with Officer Takagi.

"Oh, right!" Sato snapped back into Officer-mode. "Her name was Tsubaki Tooru. She was attacked outside, by the pool. It was late and no one was there besides her. The murderer was about to shoot when the pool cleaner came in. We're guessing that the shock made him or her miss, so he hit her arm instead."

The mini detective frowned. "Then how do you know it was the serial killer?" He asked.

"A knife," Sato answered. "When he ran, he dropped a knife. The blade matched the cuts on the other two victims."

Conan nodded. "Thanks, Sato-keiji." He said. With his questions answered, he left with Rin to join the investigation. Unfortunately, it turned out fruitless. The most information they had gotten was that the killer was a guest at the hotel. Names and fingerprints were taken, and rooms investigated, but no leads were found. Both weapons were left at the scene of the crime, and clothes could be easily disposed of.

Tired and irate, Conan, Kogoro, and Rin returned to the car. As Kogoro asked the girl where she lived, none of them noticed a single person watching the trio.

**Yaay, I'm back from vacation! I would've updated sooner, but again, I was on vacation. Hehe! Anyway, tell me what you thought of this chapter, please! I know it was slow, not much really happened. I promise the next chapter will be better!**


	5. You were just asking for this to happen

**Don't own Detective Conan.  
**

**I'm going to put this at the beginning cause I don't want to spoil the mood at the end. If there is one. I hope there is. Anyway, there's a scene at the end that feels really corny. Please don't hate me. Also, the song in this is apparently one they teach in schools. I dunno, I just googled 'Japanese children songs.' Warning: Contains some cursing. Also, there will be some inconsistencies in this chapter that will be explained later.**

If Conan was annoyed when the Shounen Tantei charged into his room, dragged him outside while nearly pulling his arms out of their sockets, almost breaking his glasses, and then throwing him into the front seat of Agasa–hakase's beetle, it was nothing compared to when they started singing.

"_Mukashi mukashi Urashima wa,_

_tasuketa kame ni tsure-rarete,_

_Ryugujo e kite mireba,_

_e ni mo kake-nai utsukushisa."_

"Join in, Conan-kun!" Rin chimed between the first and second verse. Immediately the singing died, and everyone stared at the girl in pure horror. Seeing this through the rearview mirror, Conan banged his head on the window.

"You don't have to react like that, you know," he muttered. It seemed they had hit a sore spot.

Haibara smirked at his embarrassment. "For the sake of all our ears, I'd suggest you let Edogawa-kun sit out the songs." Of course, _she_ wasn't singing either.

"Conan-kun has a tin ear," Ayumi whispered, loud enough for Conan to hear.

"I do not!" He snapped, shoulders tensing. "For your information, I have perfect pitch."

"Which is completely useless when you're tone deaf." Haibara drawled. Genta and Mitsuhiko sniggered, and Conan scowled.

"It's not like you need to _sing_ to solve cases," he muttered. "And what's with you guys, anyway? It's like you're desperate to find my faults."

The three actual children exchanged guilty glances. _That_ was true. They had, on multiple occasions, attempted to outdo Conan in his deductive skills. Since that never ended well, they resorted to making fun of his singing abilities(or lack of) as well as sometimes claiming he was in love with Ran. Though _that_ form of teasing was now directed towards him and Rin, who also happened to be Ran, but they didn't know that.

"And why did you guys drag me out here, anyway? Every time we go camping, someone gets killed." Rin's eyes widened at his next comment.

"Not every time!" Genta protested. "When we went treasure hunting-"

"I got shot and had to go through surgery," Conan interjected. Genta fell silent after that.

"Shin- er, Conan-kun," Agasa began. "I'm sure nothing's going to happen this time. Besides, you don't want to scare Rin-chan, do you?"

The faux child turned around to see that Rin had been thoroughly freaked out. _'Nice one, Kudo. Go ahead and give a first grader nightmares, why don't ya?'_

The car was silent for a few minutes. Smiling, Conan reached down to pick up a novel Agasa had been kind enough to bring with.

Then Ayumi broke in.

"_Otohime-sama no gochiso ni," _she sang, and the others(except Conan and Haibara) joined her.

"_Tai ya hirame no mai odori,_

_tada mazurashiku omoshiroku,_

_tsukihi no tatsu mo yume no uchi."_

Conan began repeatedly banging his head on his book.

Conan really wasn't sure if he should be relieved or foreboding when they reached the campsite. Everyone jumped out of the car and began exploring the area, running right into the forest without a single care. He, Haibara, and, oddly, Rin stayed behind. The moment Agasa set up one of the chairs, the short haired brunette jumped in and began reading.

As Conan and Rin helped Agasa-hakase set up the tent, he saw the girl shooting Haibara irritated looks. Finally, as they both began attaching the poles, she hissed, "Is Haibara-san always like that?"

Sighing, the boy nodded. "She's a bit hard to get along with at first, but you get used to it. And if Agasa-hakase _really_ needed help, she wouldn't hesitate to join in." He rubbed the back of his head, looking exasperated. "Honestly, I don't know what to think of that girl."

"Think whatever you'd like. I don't care." Rin and Conan jumped at the sudden voice, spinning around to see none other than Haibara herself. Things had just gotten very awkward.

She turned her cold gaze to Rin and the girl shivered slightly. Not that Conan blamed her; Haibara could be downright scary sometimes. "I'm quite aware that I'm hard to understand. Not even Edogawa-kun can make a heads or a tails of my… personality, I guess you'd say." She smiled thinly and promptly walked away.

Both of them blinked. Then Conan placed his hand on his forehead like he had a headache. "That girl…" He trailed off with a sigh.

Rin turned to the boy with obvious confusion in her eyes. "Why did Haibara-san say that... what was it? 'Not even Edogawa-kun can make a heads or a tails of my personality?'" She easily quoted the girl who was really a young woman.

Conan grimaced. _'Thanks for making things even more complicated, Haibara.' _He only shrugged and said, "Probably cause Haibara can… er, relate to me better than the others." He watched Rin, carefully searching for any signs of suspicion.

To his relief, the girl only shrugged and went back to the tent poles. _'What am I even thinking? She's just a first grader like the rest of them. Seems like Haibara's paranoia rubbed off on me.'_

Soon the camp was finished. Two tents had been set up, air mattresses blown up, and sleeping bags rolled out. Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Conan would sleep on one mattress, while Rin, Ayumi, and Haibara on the other. Agasa-hakase had a tent all to himself, though their food and clothes were also kept inside.

The sun was setting and Agasa and Haibara were fixing dinner. By then, the Shounen Tantei had dragged Conan into the forest against his will, much to Rin's amusement.

"You do realize there could be bears in the woods," he said, probably in hopes of scaring the kids back to the campsite.

Just to tease the small boy, Rin said, "But Agasa-hakase said there are no bears in these woods, only deer."

At that Ayumi squealed and ran off to find the 'cute little animals,' with Genta and Mitsuhiko in hot pursuit. In only seconds, Rin and Conan had been left completely alone. "Nice job," Conan groaned. "Now I need to go round them up before they go tripping over a serial killer or something."

Rin rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. What's the likeliness that a killer would actually be in these woods?"

"With my track record, you'd be surprised," Conan shot back as he began to walk.

"Sheesh, you really are a body magnet," The girl said sarcastically.

Conan scowled. "And I suppose Haibara told you that?"

"Genta, actually."

As the two of them walked, they bickered lightly and it even escalated into a full scale argument about Conan's Holmes obsession. But the entire time, despite their angry shouts, there was a certain gleam in the boy's eyes that told her he really wasn't mad.

'_It's just like me and Shinichi. We always used to argue about Holmes. He really is like a small carbon copy of that deduction freak, give or take the glasses. Wonder what Shinichi would think if he saw me right now. Probably some sarcastic comment about how stupid I was to get in a situation like this.'_

She grimaced at the thought, easily imagining that sarcastic little smirk on his face as he ranted about how _he_ would never be stupid enough to get in a situation like this.

Oh, if only she knew just how wrong she was.

Completely engrossed in her thoughts, Rin didn't even notice went she began to slow down and eventually stop. And neither did Conan, it seemed, because when she snapped back to the real world he was gone.

"Conan-kun?" She called, only to be answered by silence. A small shiver went down her spine. "H-hey, Conan-kun? T-this isn't funny. Come out n-now, please." What was with this foreboding feeling that swept over her as she scanned the trees. He was nowhere to be seen.

By now, the sky had grown dark. Through the dense foliage above, she could see streaks of dark cobalt blue that told her it was evening and nearing night.

At this point, Rin_ really _wanted to run straight back to camp. But the kids were still out here and she needed to find them.

Just then, a voice rang out. _"R-in… you he-ar…" _It came from her Shounen Tantei badge, but it was full of static.

"Conan-kun?" She asked aloud. It sounded like he was saying 'Rin' and then 'you hear.' She quickly unpinned her badge and held it up. In the darkness, she could hardly see the tiny buttons and dials that she was supposed to press, and even then, she wasn't sure what frequency to set it at.

Frustration ripped through her like a knife and she was sorely tempted to throw the pin into the bushes. Instead she reattached it to her dress and started walking.

The sky was rapidly darkening. She could barely see a yard in front of her face at this point, and panic was beginning to set in. But then, in the distance, she thought she saw a beam of light. A flashlight, maybe?

Relief and hope swirled through her mind and she broke out into a run in hopes of finding the source of that light. Maybe it was Conan, or perhaps Agasa-hakase had gotten some rangers to go look for her. She opened her mouth to call out and then…

A large hand clamped over her mouth and pulled her away. She felt someone lift her up by the arm and let out a squeak of pain. Suddenly the person had pinned her against his chest(it was now obvious it was a he). He removed his hand and pressed something cold and sharp against her throat.

"Scream and I'll slit your throat here and now," a voice hissed in her ear. Rin's eyes went wide as she realized the thing pressed against her neck was the blade of a knife. She sucked in a deep, shuddering breath and she felt the blade jerk slightly as the man tensed. When he realized she wasn't going to cry out, he began to walk away.

The beam of light disappeared, taking all her hopes with it. She suddenly recalled the words she had said to Conan earlier._ "What's the likeliness that a killer would actually be in these woods?"_

…She supposed she had been asking for this when she asked the body-magnet himself that question.

Rin wasn't sure how long the man was walking, but suddenly he stopped. Keeping the knife on her neck, he set the not-child down and pressed her up against a tree. In the darkness, she saw him grin sadistically.

"I saw you at the hotel," he growled. "You were there with that four-eyed boy to investigate the serial murder. You never guessed that you would become a victim of the very man, eh?" He chuckled harshly, and she shivered.

"Do you know why I'm targeting brunettes with green eyes? It's cause of the bitch who decided to break my heart. Oh, she was a beauty. On the outside, that is. Rotten to the core on the inside. She went out with me for a few months, them dumped me for another bastard. Oh, I took revenge on her. Sliced her up real good before I finished the job. 'Course, she was bound and gagged so no one could hear th' screams."

Rin _really_ shuddered at this point. There was a gleam of insanity in the murderer's dark eyes. She saw him reach back and pull a cloth out of her back pocket. The dirty rag was shoved into her mouth and a moment later he spun her around and pressed her up against the tree with his hand on the back of her head.

The knife was now set against the back of her neck. She felt her shallow breathing quicken, her heart thudding against her ribs. There was a ripping sound as he sliced through her dress, fully exposing her back.

The cold blade pressed against the skin of her back and she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain. He pressed down and she gasped as the blade drew blood. She closed her eyes, mind going blank as she prepared herself for the worst.

"RIN!" The scream broke through the silence and she heard a thud, followed by a bark of pain from the killer. Suddenly the knife was gone, the pressure of his hand was gone.

"Damn, I missed!" The voice from earlier said. She felt a small hand curl around her wrist and suddenly she was being tugged away from the tree. "Come on, run, run!"

"Conan!" She gasped. The bespectacled boy was dragging her through the forest, a look of incredible seriousness on his face.

"Run!" He snapped, and she felt her legs begin to move properly. "The soccer ball missed, he'll have a bad bruise at least, maybe a dislocated shoulder if we're lucky."

Behind them, there was angry cursing and the sound of pounding feet. Conan scowled. "Seems like we weren't lucky. Damn, why the hell did I leave my watch at home? And that was my only ball!"

Suddenly he jerked her to the side and shrugged out of his jacket. "Put this on," He said, handing it to her. "You're leaving a blood trail." She didn't question the boy, only slipping her arms through the sleeves. The moment it was on, he snatched her hand and began running again.

Rin was beginning to run out of breath, and Conan was faring no better. "I'm not sure… how long… we can… keep this up…" she gasped.

"Don't speak," he breathed back. "Just run." Both of them fell silent. Behind them, they could hear the serial killer gaining. Ahead, there was the roar of a river.

They broke through the trees and, for a few brief seconds, the sight before them stunned the children. A fast flowing river wasn't even two yards away from where they now stood. There were no rocks in the water, but the sheer speed of it created a loud roar. Moonlight glanced off the surface, dazzling them.

But all this could only be admired for seconds. There was a particularly loud curse and Conan snapped back to reality. "Come on!" He shouted, beginning to tug her downstream. He could hear a roar of triumph as the killer also burst out of the forest.

Now they were running blindly. The edge of the forest was getting further and further away, the stretch of land between them and the trees becoming wider. And Rin's eyes widened, too, when she saw what they were running towards.

"Conan, stop!" She shouted, and wondered if he had heard her over the roar of the water. He had.

"WHAT?" He yelled like she was crazy.

"There's a waterfall!"

His cerulean eyes snapped up and his face paled in the darkness. Just few yards away, the ground gave way to a cliff. They both froze.

A loud laugh caught their attention. They spun around to see the serial killer coming closer, a gun in hand. As he walked forward, they stepped back. He kept advancing until they were standing on the very edge of the cliff.

Conan glanced back. The falls poured into a large, clear pool. He looked forward. The killer was still coming closer, leisurely taking his time. He looked to the side. It was a completely open area. If they moved, he could shoot them in an instant.

Rin felt tears prick at her eyes, her heart racing faster than ever before. She wondered if this was the terror of previous victims. "C-conan, what do we d-do?" She whimpered.

Conan kept looking back and ahead, from the waterfall to the killer. And finally, he looked at her with his cerulean eyes filled with determination.

"Jump." He said. She gasped, but before she could say a word he plowed on. "It's our only chance, Rin! We can stand here and be killed for sure, or jump and have a chance of surviving!" He gripped her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "You need to trust me."

And then she knew that was their only chance. "Okay." Was all she said. They both turned and faced the cliff. Conan took a deep breath.

"One," Conan said, steeling his resolve.

"Two," Rin continued. She slipped her hand into his, and he held it tight. "Please don't let go," she whispered. He took in a breath, closing his eyes.

"Three."

A shot ripped through the air, and the two children jumped off the cliff.


	6. Frigid

_**I don't own DC.**  
_

_They both turned and faced the cliff. Conan took a deep breath._

_"One," Conan said, steeling his resolve._

_"Two," Rin continued. She slipped her hand into his, and he held it tight. "Please don't let go," she whispered. He took in a breath, closing his eyes._

_"Three."_

_A shot ripped through the air, and the two children jumped off the cliff._

* * *

It was impossible to tell how long they were falling. Their eyes were closed as they hurtled towards the water, hand in hand. It seemed to last only a second, yet stretched out for years. Their minds went blank and for a moment, they were drifting in oblivion. And then everything was cold. Rin's eyes flashed open to darkness and she gasped aloud. Immediately icy water rushed down her throat. She began retching as her body attempted to dispel the water, to no avail. If anything, it made things worse as she swallowed more and more water.

Everything was pure darkness. She couldn't see anything. She could hear a faint roar from the waterfall clashing against the lake, but even that was beginning to drift away. Everything was cold. She was freezing. Rin felt herself begin to go limp as even the icy sensation began to leave her.

And then suddenly something was tugging on her arm. She was being pulled somewhere. Up? Down? She couldn't tell, her mind was in a blurry muddle. Suddenly there was a gasp beside her, and that was the last thing she heard before her mind went blank.

* * *

Conan was lucky that he remembered to hold his breath. When they hit the water, he managed to keep himself from swallowing water(though it did rush up his nose) by clamping his free hand over his mouth. He could feel Rin's hand jerking in his, and suddenly stop. She was deadweight in this lake. He yanked desperately on her arm, ignoring the instincts that were screaming for him to let her go and save himself.

'_Swim, dammit! Move your legs, Kudo!' _Conan began kicking his feet, one arm reaching up and sweeping through the water to propel himself hopefully towards the surface. He could feel himself begin to go numb from the frigid temperature; it was a miracle that he managed to hold onto Rin.

He opened his eyes and looked in the direction he was swimming. To his immense relief, he could see a very blurry circle of light way above him. Probably the moon. Meaning he was near the surface. But it was getting harder and harder to keep swimming. His lungs were screaming for air, his entire body ached for him to take a breath, even if he was submerged in water. He could feel his strokes getting weaker, and couldn't even hope that Rin was faring any better.

Conan squeezed his eyes shut and, with one last burst of energy, broke the surface. He drew in a huge gulp of air, and wanted nothing more than to just stay there and keep breathing and enjoy the feeling of it.

And that was when he remembered Rin. His vision was incredibly blurry but he could see her. Hastily wiping the water out of his eyes, he tried to observe her current state.

For a horrible moment, it looked like the girl was dead. _'Shut up! Don't think that way, there's still a chance. Remember, swim to shore and give her a rescue breath in five second intervals.' _He began tugging her towards the shore, following the instructions that had been drilled into him while on vacation in Hawaii.

Finally, his feet hit the ground. He quickly dragged her to shore, laying her out on the damp grass. Conan impulsively reached up to set his glasses onto night vision, only to find that he had lost them in the fall "Damn, those would've been useful," he muttered, though his words were slurred from numb lips. Deciding he'd just have to rely on his natural eyesight, he began to preform CPR. No time to feel awkward about it, simple facts were that she'd die if he didn't.

When he began the chest compressions, she started coughing up water. After a while, she let out a faint moan and her hands twitched. Hope flared in his heart as he leaned over the girl. "Rin? Rin, are you alright?"

"C-C-Conan…kun?" She murmured. Her eyes were hazy as she stared up at him.

He smiled, beginning to feel shaky with relief. "Thank God," he breathed.

"It's cold…" she murmured, beginning to shiver.

His blue eyes went wide. "Damn it, hypothermia…" he muttered. He wasted no time in removing his clothes **(A/K: Don't get dirty thoughts. The clothes soak up cold water and removing them after you get out of water reduces the chance of hypothermia.)** and then Rin's. Though he left her jacket, since it was more or less waterproof material. Her eyes fluttered shut and her muscles relaxed.

"OI!" He yelled aloud, jerking her back to consciousness. "Idiot, stay awake." He lightly slapped her cheeks in an attempt to keep the girl from falling asleep. He knew he should find shelter, somewhere warm were they could rest until someone found them or they had the energy to walk. But he…couldn't… move!

A gust of icy wind blew by, and he shivered. His heart rate and breathing were faster than normal. _'At this rate we're going to die of hypothermia…' _His vision was getting blurry. Blinking rapidly, he tried to touch his little finger with his thumb. No good. He glanced over at Rin. She was clearly asleep.

"Wake up," Conan murmured weakly. "You need to wake up... Come on Rin-chan, you need to... to..." His words were slurred to the extent that he could hardly recognize them. He was shivering violently now, he could feel himself sway even as he sat. His eyelids were so heavy… it would be such a relief to just close them and…

As he fell back against the ground, he thought he saw a beam of light darting through the air. And was that shouting in the distance? He couldn't tell, and at this point, didn't care. He just wanted to sleep…

* * *

Conan awoke to a rhythmic beeping off to the side. He blinked open his eyes and saw white. Frowning in confusion, he lifted a hand to his face. It was hard, his entire body felt heavy, but he managed to position his hand above his eyes. He could see it, although his vision was blurred, so then why was everything white? When he turned his head to the side, he saw a bed a few feet away from where he was lying. It was then that Conan realized he was also in a bed.

As his thoughts began to clear, he came to the conclusion that he was in a hospital. So that meant the white space above him was the ceiling. When he looked at his arm, he saw several wires attached to it, hooking him up to all sorts of machines that checked his heart rate and pulse and all sorts of other vitals. Fun.

"Oh, are you awake, Conan-kun?" An unfamiliar voice alerted him to another person's presence. He looked over to see a nurse dressed in purple scrubs standing beside his bed. The faux child only blinked at her, unsure what to say. But it seemed he didn't have to say anything because she quickly continued. "You're in the hospital right now. Some rangers from the campground found you and your friend passed out by the lake. You were in the second stage of hypothermia and nearing the third- do you know what hypothermia is?"

"When your body temperature drops below average- starting from 35 C (95 F) and then dropping further," came the automatic, though slightly jumbled, reply. The nurse blinked at him, obviously surprised.

Conan rubbed his eyes, and everything came back to him in a rush. Camping, the forest, the serial killer, jumping into the lake... He remembered how it had all started. After finding Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko and bringing them back to camp, he had noticed Rin wasn't there. Honestly, how had he NOT noticed that? His first idea was to call her on the detective badge.

When she didn't answer, he began to worry. He told Agasa to call the rangers before going out into the forest himself. After a several very long minutes, he had found her. Pressed up against a tree with a serial killer about to slice open her back. His first impulse was to use his watch. Then he remembered he didn't HAVE his watch. Lovely.

So he instead inflated a soccer ball-the last on in his belt(yes, they could run out. You can only have so much... er, material, in one belt-thing.) and kicked it at the man. Unfortunately, he missed in the darkness. Fortunately, it was enough to make the guy release Rin. So he ran forward, grabbed her and... you know the rest from there.

"How's Rin-chan?" He asked anxiously.

"She's fine," the nurse smiled. "Still asleep, but she's right in the bed beside yours."

He glanced over to look at the other bed once more. Sure enough, he could see her childish face framed by messy brown hair. Her skin was pale, but her expression was peaceful. He smiled slightly. _'She's cute when she sleeps... And holy crap, did I really just think that? Kudo, you are not going to become a pedophile. You like Ran. Mouri Ran. Don't prove Genta and Mitsuhiko correct, Rin is a child. And yes, you are having a mental talk with yourself.' _He chuckled aloud, aware that his thoughts were in a complete mess at the moment.

The next few days was a blur of nurses, medicine, and visitors. Even though he had long since recovered, aside from a nasty cold, the doctors and nurses insisted he stayed in the hospital. The Shounen Tantei visited on a daily basis, crowding around Conan and Rin's beds, chattering about how they had found someone's lost pet, and bringing childish video games for them to play.

Agasa and Haibara visited, too, though they never stuck around long. They told him that the serial killer had also been caught by one of the search parties. It just so happened that one of the rangers was a karate champ(Conan grinned, thinking of Ran) and took him down in no time. Kogoro, of course, never visited once. Whenever the drunken detective was brought up, a strange expression would cross Rin's face. Conan never really asked about it, figuring it wasn't anything important.

Sometimes, though, he would think about Ran and feel a bit lonely. Whenever he had been sick or injured before, she had always cared for and visited him. Once, in sleep-induced confusion, he had asked the nurse if 'Ran Nee-chan was coming.' He thought he saw Rin flinch at that, but that was just another thing he filed away in his mental 'Unimportant' drawer.

But when the nurse had left, he got an unexpected question from his roommate.

"Do you... miss your Nee-chan?" Rin had asked after a minute of silence.

The sudden inquiry took Conan by surprise. The boy sat up in bed and swung his legs over the edge, to see that Rin had done the same. He thought about his answer, and then said, "Well, yeah. She hardly ever calls, only sending the occasional text. ...Have I ever told you about Shinichi Nii-chan?"

Rin's green eyes went wide for some reason, and her breath seemed to catch. But when she spoke, it was with her usual childlike flair. "No, though I do know who he is! He's that famous detective who was always on TV last year!"

Conan smirked. The whole 'TV' business seemed to be what awed others about him most. When he had first started to get famous, people began crowding around him. A lot. He had never been the popular type until he got on live television, then suddenly everyone knew his name and wanted to be his best friend. It was situations like that that made him stick by Ran's side for all these years. A friend who cared about him before he was famous.

"Well," Conan began. "He and Ran Nee-chan were best friends. They were even younger than us when they first met. But about a year ago, Shinichi Nii-chan disappeared. He rarely showed up and could only talk to Ran Nee-chan over the phone and through texts. She always got mad at him for that, she'd yell at him a lot and she had a good reason for it. But at least he called, y'know? At least she could still hear his voice, and know he's ok..."

There was a sad little smile on his face and he fell back on the bed. He would never imagine that at that moment, Rin was thinking, _'I'm right here, Conan-kun. I'm right here...'_

* * *

Finally, the day came where they were released from the hospital. Rin's parents drove up in an expensive-looking car and even offered to take Conan and the Shounen Tantei(who had been visiting at the time) home. The drive there was a noisy one, filled with laughs from the children and snide remarks from Conan and Haibara.

Finally, the only two left in the car were Conan and Rin. When they reached the Mouri Detective Agency, both of them stepped out. Rin accompanied him to the door, and just before he opened it, he turned to her.

"I'll see you on Monday," he told her. She smiled and nodded. Suddenly, Conan leaned forward, placing his fingers over her temples, and pressed his lips to her forehead. She froze in shock. When he pulled away, she thought she saw a light blush on his cheeks. "Well, see ya!" He yelped, and fled inside. The door shut with a small slam.

Rin stared, her face heating up. "Nani?" She murmured.

On the other side of the door, Conan's face was three shades of red. "What am I doing?" He groaned aloud, covering his face with his hands.

**Ugggh. I personally hated this chapter. It feels sooo~ooo boring. -headdesk- Sorry!**


	7. Conflict

**I do not own DC. **

Rin stared out the window, sitting in a little pink spinning chair her parents had bought her some weeks ago. Her elbows were perched on the window sill, chin in her small hands as she gazed outside. She hardly moved, didn't even twitch. If someone had been watching her, they would've wondered just what kind of child could sit so…. Still. But that was because she wasn't a child, she was Mouri Ran.

And she was currently in the middle of a serious freak out session.

Despite her docile appearance, her mind was in a whirl of chaos and confusion. It… didn't…. make…. Sense! Why was she so spastic about a little, childish kiss? It wasn't even a kiss, it was just a friendly peck on the forehead! Surely Conan did that kind of thing all the time? Then she recalled his desperate struggles against Ayumi's hugs, the way he'd fall into a serious and somewhat sarcastic attitude around Haibara.

…Maybe not.

_They were standing just outside the door, shuffling their feet awkwardly. He said something- she wasn't sure what anymore- and she simply nodded in reply. Then he suddenly leaned forward, gentle hands brushing her temples, and pressed his warm lips to her forehead-_

"AAAAGH!" Rin banged her head on the window, hitting the cold glass with the spot where Conan had kissed-

_'SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!'_ Rin internally screamed._ 'Holy-friggin-crap, don't even THINK that way! He's Conan. Co-nan! Your so-called little brother, and Shinichi's COUSIN. Not Shinichi, his COUSIN! He's a seven year old boy who just happens to look exactly like the younger Shinichi. He's a seven year old boy who just happens to be really kind and caring and cute and…'_

_'And you sound like a pedophile.'_ Rin scowled. She muttered a curse under her breath and pressed her cheek onto the cool glass of her window. Despite that, she could feel the warm blush that graced her skin. She took a few deep breaths, trying to focus on something. Shinichi? No, that would just make her sad. School? Too close to Conan. Kamen Yaiba?

Wait. Back up, where had that come from? Yet it was the perfect distraction, and soon she found herself humming along to the Kamen Yaiba theme song.

_'Oh, great, now it's stuck in my head.'_ Sure enough, the song was now on 'loop' in her mind, and annoying the heck out of the shrunken teen. Taking a breath, Rin tried to focus her mind elsewhere. Again. And a few minutes later, she had another song stuck in her head. This one was in English, she had heard it from Sonoko.

_'I'm sexy and I know it.'_

She wasn't sure what the second word meant. Sonoko seemed to, but it wasn't one she had ever heard the teachers use, or seen in the text book. She made a mental note to look it up later. Maybe Kazuha would know? Yeah, she could talk to Kazuha!

…Oh, wait. No she couldn't. Does 'high, squeaky voice' ring a bell? Damn.

Suddenly Rin pulled back from her chair(nearly tipping it over in the process) and face-palmed. Texting, DUH. Grinning, the small girl practically leaped out of her chair and ran for her backpack, which was leaning against the door. She unzipped the smallest pocket and pulled out two phones, one pink, the other red.

She chose the pink one, 'Ran's' phone. With a wide grin, she quickly scrolled through her contacts and found Kazuha's number, opening the message box.

Long time no see. It's Ran.

'Send'

The reply was almost immediate.

_Ran! Thank god, I was bored out of my mind!_

Same. What's up?

_Nothing. Heiji's being an aho, like usual. Why did u text?_

Couldn't call. I'm in the US, don't want to pay long distance.

_O, right. I heard something like that from Heiji. Seems like Conan was pretty depressed about it._

Rin grimaced. Great, in the end it was still about Conan. I heard. I feel really bad, but I can't help it. Besides, I can still text him.

_Ya. Can't believe he's so attached to you, though. Wouldn't most kids be GLAD their Nee-chan's gone?_

Not him, I guess. Then again, when we first met he just about leaped at me when Agasa-hakase asked if I could take care of him.

_Awww, that's sweet. The kid's a bit strange, but cute when it all comes down to it._

Yeah. Shinichi was really cute at that age, too. Rin typed it without thinking. The moment she hit 'send,' she wanted to claw it right back. When Kazuha's reply came, she was blushing hard.

_Was he, now?_ Oh, she could just see the smirk on Kazuha's face. _So you've loved your husband since childhood? Speaking of which, has he called recently?_

Rin sighed as she rapidly pressed the buttons, though she was very tempted to simply close the screen. He's NOT my husband. No, he hasn't even sent a text since I went to the US. And how have you and YOUR husband been getting along?

_HEIJI'S NOT MY HUSBAND!_

Who said anything about Hattori-kun? It was Rin's turn to smirk.

_I'd say I hate you if you weren't my best friend._

At those words, Rin felt a wave of melancholy and sadness wash over her. She could easily imagine the expressions and tones Kazuha would use while speaking. It wasn't the same over messaging. She wanted to be able to speak to her friend with her own voice, in person, not through some typed up words on a screen. Rin found herself glaring with tears pricking at her eyes as she typed the next reply.

I need to go. Dinner's ready. See you, Kazuha!

She sent the message and turned off her phone, somehow in even more of a turmoil than before.

* * *

In the Mouri Detective Agency, Conan was having similar troubles.

_'You… IDIOT, Kudo! Why did you kiss her like that? Alright, so it was only on the forehead, but WHY? So, Rin kind of resembles Ran. They even have similar names. But it's only in facial structure, everything else is different. Her hair, eyes, even the way she dresses… And alright, they do have similar personalities but…_

_NOT THE POINT! You kissed a six year old, Kudo. That just screams 'pedophilia.' It would be different if you WERE a seven year old, but you're NOT. She's also not your daughter, not your sister, and NOT RAN!'_

He was getting a headache. Maybe he should take some medicine. Did Occhan keep medicine? He'd have to check…

Suddenly his stomach gave a loud growl, and he scowled. The shrunken detective hopped off the couch and walked into the kitchen. Kogoro was already in his room, sleeping. As his stomach rumbled again, Conan opened the fridge and pulled out a bento he had bought at the store earlier. He had actually bought several, and then hid them in the very back of the fridge in hopes Kogoro wouldn't find them.

He took a seat at the table and began to eat. But he had only taken a few bites when his phone began to buzz in his pockets.

Grumbling, Conan swallowed his mouthful and picked up the phone. "Moshi moshi?"

_"Kudo!"_ came the overly enthusiastic voice.

"Hattori? What is it, it's…" He glanced at the clock. "Nearly 9:30 PM."

_"It's not that late. Don't tell me ya actually have a bed time?"_ Heiji scoffed.

Conan fidgeted in his seat. "I, well, er… See, Ran decided I should be in bed by 9 and it's just become a habit, y'know? Except on weekends."

Heiji burst into laughter on the other line. _"Seriously, Kudo?"_

"YES, seriously! Now shut up, would ya?"

To his relief, the laughter subsided after a while, save for a few left over snickers. _"A-alright, gomen. Seriously though, the great Kudo Shinichi has a bed time."_ He promptly burst into laughter again.

"I'm going to hang up on you," He growled.

_"Ah, no, I'll stop, I'll stop! Anyway, are ya ok? Ya haven't called in a while."_

"I don't suppose your constant mocking has anything to do with it?"

_"I doubt it. Ever since Nee-chan left, you've been acting strangely. Ya sound all tired and depressed, even on the phone."_

Conan sighed and stuck another bite of food in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and said, "I'm fine, Hattori. I just don't like being able to keep an eye on Ran. 'Sides, that's not what I'm worried about."

_"Then what _is_ bugging ya?"_

"…Promise not to laugh?" He asked hesitantly.

_"Yeah, yeah, I promise. Now spit it out, Kudo!"_ Heiji sounded impatient.

"Alright. Listen, I told you about that new girl, Akiyama Rin, right?"

_"Yeah._"

"It's about her. I don't know why, but… she makes me act strange. I blush when she looks me in the eye and always feel awkward but really happy around her. And just a few hours ago, I kissed her. On the forehead, but still."

To his surprise, Heiji didn't laugh. Instead, in a bemused voice, he said, _"Dude. That's… disturbing."_

"Ya _think_?"

There was silence on the phone for a minute. Conan took the chance and took another bite of his bento. _"Listen, ya said she resembles Nee-chan right?"_

"Yeah. They have the same face, aside from the eyes, and her hair color is the same, though it's a different style. She also acts like Ran, only more childish."

_"Maybe that's it. Ya look at… er, Rin-kun… and see Nee-chan instead. Maybe yer just trying to make up for Nee-chan's absence with Rin-kun."_

"Maybe…" He trailed off, staring into space for a moment. "Thanks Hattori. Anyway, I'm gonna go to bed now-"

He was interrupted by a snicker. _"Wouldn't want to stay up too late, Conan-kun."_

"Shaddup," was all Conan said before hanging up.

He was about to put the phone away when it started buzzing again. Groaning, he checked the screen. It was a text, from an unknown number. Curious now, he opened the message.

_Meet me at the Dollar Store Parking Lot at 15:00 tommorrow._

**Thus ends another chapter! This was more focused on the internal conflict, as well as leading up to the actual action in the series. Oh, can you guess who sent that message? –eyebrow wiggle-**

**Anyway, about that song. "I'm sexy and I know it."**

…**That… was impulse. I'm sorry, had to add it. Bit of comic relief. Hope you liked it, and if you didn't…. I dunno. See you guys next time!**


	8. Panic and Pass Out

__**For the record, I still don't own Detective Conan.**

_Meet me at the Dollar Store Parking Lot at 15:00 tommorrow._

Conan read over the message for at least the hundredth time before checking his watch. Five minutes to go. Supposing whoever sent that wasn't late or early, that is. And most people weren't exactly as punctual as KID or Hakuba. Then again, _no one_ was like Hakuba. It was kind of creepy, the way the Half-Brit detective would obsess over the time, even going into fractions of a second…

…He really had to stop getting off topic. _'What the hell is with me these days? It's like some creepy author in another dimension is messing with my personality…'_ And _whoa_, where had _that_ come from?

Somewhere in the distance, a wall was being torn apart, brick by brick.

The shrunken teen slid his skateboard back and forth absentmindedly as he leaned against the wall of the Dollar Store. It was an old place that had gone out of business about a year ago. Due to its secluded location, no one had ever bothered to build anything else in its place, so it was now just an abandoned store in an abandoned parking lot. Some people would find it creepy. Conan was just bored.

He glanced down at the watch again. The second hand was ticking closer and closer, the minute hand twitching along… Five, four, three, two, one-

A hand clamped over Conan's mouth and spun him around, pressing him up against the store wall. He felt his heart hammering against his ribs as though it were trying to burst free. He suddenly found himself unable to breath as a horribly familiar voice hissed in his ear.

"It's nice to see you… Silver Bullet-kun." _'Vermouth!' _A bolt of terror jolted through the shrunken boy, making him freeze. Then his senses jumped into overdrive.

He wrenched himself free of Vermouth's grip, whirling around as his hand went for his watch. The lid was flipped open in an instant, and he was about to shoot when-

_Smack!_ Stinging pain erupted in his cheek as the woman slapped him right across the face. He felt her hands grip his wrist, undoing his watch in an instant. Vermouth did the same for his ball-dispensing belt, leaving him virtually weaponless, aside from his shoes. And he kind of doubted that he could actually get close enough to kick her.

"Gomenasai," Vermouth apologized, though he could clearly see the smirk on her face. "But bad children have to be disciplined."

He glared at her hatefully, trying to fight down the whirl of panic in his mind. "What do you want?" He spat, ignoring the ache in his cheek.

She sighed. "Are you going to glower at me all day?" He kept glaring. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' Here, let's declare a truce. I'll give you your belt if you agree to not attack me."

Conan's eyes narrowed suspiciously behind his glasses. "Make one false move-"

"And you'll be playing a violent game of soccer." Vermouth finished. She handed him the silver device and he begrudgingly accepted it, not taking his eyes off her for a second even as he clipped it back on. He saw her hand move and involuntarily flinched, expecting a gun. Instead, she pulled out a handkerchief and her hand with it. Every movement she made suggested complete nonchalance, as though they _weren't_ enemies and she _wasn't_ a murderer. "So how's Angel been doing?" Vermouth asked casually as she rubbed a nail with her cloth.

_'Angel?' _Conan wondered. His eyes widened._ 'Ran!'_ "What do you want with Ran?" He snarled.

Vermouth frowned at him like a disapproving mother. "Nothing, I'm just asking how she is," she replied innocently. He glared at her with complete loathing.

"She's _safe_, if that's what you mean," Conan spat. He felt a pang of fear, wondering just how true his words were. He'd have to send a warning to Ran with Shinichi's cell phone...

"Are you sure?" His heart skipped a beat at Vermouth's words. There was a flash of panic in his eyes as he snapped his gaze to her. A wide smirk was twisting her face. "When's the last time you actually _talked_ to Angel? When she told you about that 'Exchange Program?'"

There was no mistaking the mocking tone in her voice. Conan felt his breathing get uneven as his heart began to race. "How- do you?" He rasped, suddenly finding his throat very dry.

Vermouth had a contemplating look. "A lucky guess?" She suggested. "Or maybe because I bugged her phone?"

He was definitely panicking now. It was a miracle that Vermouth couldn't hear his heart's uneven pounding. So Vermouth had gotten close enough to Ran to bug her cellphone? His mind was singing a rapid mantra of _'!' _"S-STAY AWAY FROM RAN!" Conan yelled, feeling something in him just snap. Gone was the cheerful mask of Edogawa Conan. Gone were the calm, calculating eyes of Kudo Shinichi. Knowing that the Black Syndicate had actually gotten close to Ran...

"You're hyperventilating," Vermouth told him. He realized she was right and forced himself to take several deep breaths. By now, Conan's hands were shaking.

"D-don't touch her," he begged hoarsely. "Don't hurt Ran." He didn't even care that he was pretty much throwing every ounce of pride away. All that mattered was keeping Ran safe.

Vermouth grinned at him, a chilling smile. "Too late," She giggled. Conan faintly remembered her pressing a handkerchief to his mouth and nose before his world spiraled into nothingness.

* * *

When Conan woke, he was alone. The boy sat bolt upright with a strangled gasp, his eyes with a wild gleam. He looked around frantically, half expecting to see the Black Org surrounding him. But no, he was the only one in the Parking Lot. Cursing loudly, he leaped up and began searching for his skateboard. When his eyes finally landed on it, he scrambled over and jumped on. His foot hit the button and he was off like a rocket.

He didn't give a single thought to his safety as he roared through the streets, weaving through traffic like a boy possessed. Several drivers honked angrily at him, but Conan only ignored them in his desperation. When a light turned red, he swerved onto the sidewalk and found a new route. Finally, he reached Teitan High.

Conan took his foot off the button, not even letting the skateboard come to a stop before snatching it up and darting towards the office. When he burst through the doors, he got a several odd looks. No wonder- a seven year old boy completely out of breath and his hair in a disarray. Ignoring the stares, he ran right up to the woman sitting behind the desk.

"Can you tell me if Mouri Ran has been attending school recently?" He asked quickly.

The woman frowned at him. "Are you a relative?" She questioned lightly.

"I live with her," he replied.

She sighed. "Well, Mouri-kun called a while ago to say she'd be absent from school. Something about a family emergency. Is she-" The woman cut off as Conan turned right around and stumbled through the doors.

* * *

His mind was a whirl. _'Family emergency? She told me it was an exchange program!' _He recalled Vermouth's words. Her sardonic smile that told him everything, yet nothing. He stumbled blindly down the street with his skateboard tucked under his arm, not knowing nor caring where he was going.

Finally, a voice snapped him out of his daze. "Hey, brat. What are you doing here?" He turned around slowly to see Sonoko, with the usual look of disdain she seemed to have reserved just for him. For some reason, Rin was with her. Conan thought nothing of it.

"Say, Sonoko Nee-chan... Has Ran Nee-chan talked to you recently?" He asked, not noticing Rin's look of alarm.

Sonoko's expression immediately became irritated. "No! It's been almost a month since she's been in s_chool!_ She's sent me a few texts, but never said where she is."

That told Conan everything he needed to know. The panic and fear eventually overwhelmed him, and for the second time that day, he felt himself collapse in a dead faint.

**Alright, the plot's finally making progress. No more random misadventures! Mmm, poor Conan, he's passed out twice in under two hours. Anyway, reviews! Please? Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles and a cherry on top? *Puppy eyes* _No one_ can resist the puppy eyes!**


	9. ANOTHER New Student

**I don't own Detective Conan**

**Oh. Oh! OH! WHOA! 50+ reviews! YES! WHOOHOO! *happy dance* Thank you everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorite'd this story! It means a lot!**

_Rin gazed forlornly up at the building of Teitan High School. It had been nearly a month since she had last walked through the halls of her school, chatting with friends and listening to the teachers' lectures. Now she was stuck in a child's body, forced to hang around first graders in order to keep herself and her loved ones safe. Admittedly, it was enjoyable at times. Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi were cute, and Conan provided good company. It was almost like hanging around Shinichi again, albeit a tiny, bespectacled Shinichi. All the same, she wished she could just return to her old life, away from the confusion and drama of the mysterious drug she had been force fed back in Beika Park.  
_

_"Are you lost?"  
_

_Those three words took Rin completely by surprise. The shrunken teen leaped into the air with a small squeal, landing in a defensive posture on instinct. But when she saw who it was, she immediately relaxed. Then something clicked in her mind, and her entire body tensed up and went rigid._

_Sonoko Suzuki was gazing down at her, a mildly concerned expression on the high school girl's face.  
_

_"N-no!" Rin squeaked. "I was just... er... t-taking a walk!" She exclaimed.  
_

_Sonoko seemed to accept her excuse. Then again, what reason would she have to doubt a 'small, innocent child?' As the short haired girl turned to leave, Rin felt herself relax. It was amazing how your best friend can nearly give you a panic attack. Then again, the whole 'shrinking' and 'don't tell anyone' kind of factored into the near-heart attack situation. With a sense of relief and a bit of sadness, she turned around to walk back towards home.  
_

_Only to be interrupted once again. "Hey, brat. What are you doing here?" She turned around to see Sonoko bending down a bit to talk to someone, though she couldn't really tell who. Curious now, the faux child scampered to the teen's side. Her eyes went wide as a very bedraggled Conan slowly turned to face the two of them. His eyes were hollow, dull. Something about him just seemed defeated, as though he had given up.  
_

_"Say, Sonoko Nee-chan..." The boy began. She shivered at his toneless voice. "Has Ran Nee-chan talked to you recently?"  
_

_Rin froze. Heart hammering in her chest, she glanced fearfully at Sonoko. The short haired teen had an annoyed expression as she replied, "No! It's been almost a month since she's been in _school___!_ She's sent me a few texts, but never said where she is." There was a flicker of something in Conan's lifeless eyes. Realization? Understanding? She wasn't sure, for just then, the boy's eyes rolled back and he collapsed.  


* * *

Conan's eyes fluttered open. The boy slowly sat up, his jaw stretching in a large yawn before he peered blearily around. Everything was a blur at first. He lifted a heavy hand and rubbed at his eyes... _'Where are my glasses?" _A flash of panic bolted through the faux child as he blinked furiously to clear his eyes. With his vision restored, he realized he was in the Mouri Detective Agency, lying on a bed.

_'This is... Ran's bed?"_ he wondered_._

"Oh, you're awake?" Conan glanced over to see Sonoko leaning in the doorway, a worried frown on her face.

"Sonoko..." He began, before quickly adding, "Nee-chan. Why am I here? In Ran Nee-chan's bed?"

The brunette rubbed her forehead with a hand before saying, "Don't you remember? You passed out after asking me something about Ran. You're not running a fever, so my guess is you were up late last night." With a long sigh, she mumbled, "This is what happens when Ran's not around. As for why your in her bed... well, Rin-chan was really stubborn about that. When I tried to lay you down on the couch, she practically screeched that you 'needed an actual bed to rest in.'" Sonoko got an odd look on her face, like she was torn between smiling and being annoyed.

Everything came rushing back to Conan. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. Then he sucked in a breath of air and silently flicked open his watch. He took aim at the teenage girl and...

_Thwick!_ The needle hit her neck and Sonoko collapsed onto the bed. Conan immediately leaped onto the floor, darting out of the room and down the hall. He burst into the living room, eyes wildly seeking out his skateboard.

"Conan-kun?" A small voice caught his attention, and he mentally cursed. _'Dammit, I don't have time for this!'_ he seethed. He reluctantly turned around to see Rin holding a glass of ice water. "What are you doing?"

"Where's my skateboard?" He asked bluntly. The girl's eyes narrowed in a familiar manner. That was the look Ran always got before a lecture.

"You are _not_ going out until you get rested, Conan-kun!" Rin growled. "You just collapsed in the middle of the street for no reason and-"

"DAMMIT, JUST TELL ME WHERE THE HELL MY SKATEBOARD IS!" Conan wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly he was screaming. Ran was in _danger._ He had spent all this time trying to protect her from the Black Organization, only to find out they were targeting her. Pain and confusion flashed across the young girl's face, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry in his desperation. Almost snarling, he pushed past her and stormed to the front door. His skateboard was propped up against the wall, and he grabbed it before dashing out the door.

The moment his feet hit the cement, he was on his skateboard and zooming down the street.

* * *

When Conan arrived at Professor Agasa's house, he began abusing the doorbell. By the time a very irate Haibara answered, his finger had a nice pink circle imprinted on it. "This better be important, Kudo-kun. I was in the middle of developing a new antidote," she growled.

"That's not important," he told her breathlessly. Haibara's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. Was Kudo actually saying the antidote wasn't important? "Listen, is Hakase home?"

Her eyes narrowed. "He left to buy some spare parts for another one of his inventions."

"Good. I don't want him getting involved." He brushed past the shrunken girl, stepping into the Professor's house without invitation. He quickly swapped his shoes for slippers and hurried into the living room with Haibara close behind. The two of them took their seats on two couches, sitting across from one another. Haibara's expression was stoic... but, if one looked close enough, they would see a hint of foreboding in her sharp eyes. As Conan took his seat, she noticed how twitchy he was. His eyes kept flitting around the room as though searching for something, and he was clenching and relaxing his hands nonstop.

"I met with Vermouth. Ran's in danger." He didn't bother with beating around the bush. Immediately, Haibara flinched. Her eyes dilated in unmasked fear and her face rapidly drained of color. Her now-clammy hands clutched nervously at her knees as the shrunken detective continued his tale. He told her about the anonymous message, how Vermouth caught him off guard, her hints and outright confirmations of Ran being in danger, all the way to being knocked out with a drug-soaked handkerchief. By the end of his story, with knocking Sonoko out(he skipped over the yelling at Rin part), Haibara was pale as a ghost and her forehead was beaded with perspiration. The girl's hands were trembling, and Conan was having a similar reaction. The once-calm detective was virtually nonexistent at this point. He was now wild-eyed, his hands balled into shaking fists with the nails digging into his skin.

Unable to sit still, Conan leaped off the couch and began rapidly pacing. His hands were clasped behind his back as he strode back and forth across the carpeted floor, a very out of character reaction for the Tokyo detective. "I gotta save Ran," he mumbled, just within hearing range of his companion. "They bugged her phone, they know she's connected with me. I'll call her, warn her. If she doesn't pick up she's probably been hurt... In that case I'll have to track down Vermouth... I'll capture her and interrogate her until I know Ran's safe."

"No!" He halted at Haibara's outburst, staring in her direction. The girl was sitting up straight, gazing at him in incredulity. As he watched, she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing down. After a moment, Haibara resumed speaking. "Kudo-kun, don't be foolish. You know as well as I do that tracking the Syndicate is impossible. And if you even tried, you'd only put yourself and everyone else in more danger."

"But-!" He protested.

"Unless you wish to be responsible for the deaths of your friends and family, I suggest you close your mouth and sit down until you can think straight. And if you continue trying to bore a trench in the floor, I will personally force feed you a new anesthetic drug I've developed."

Just like that, Conan seemed to collapse upon himself. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head as he found no argument to her statements. "Then what do I do?" He asked meekly.

"There's not much we can do. Call Mouri-san if you must, but don't panic if she doesn't answer. It's possible that the Organization hasn't harmed her yet. Perhaps she became somewhat aware of the situation and went into hiding." Haibara's words weren't much to go by, but Conan found himself clinging to them like a lifeline in stormy waters. He had to believe she was safe- he _had_ to. He couldn't even consider the possibility of her being harmed, or worse. Feeling suddenly drained of energy, he fell back onto the couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"So basically, the only thing I can do is call her and hope she hadn't been murdered?" He mumbled.

"Basically," Haibara agreed, though not coldly. Conan continued his mute staring, either unwilling or unable to say anything else. His mind was a vortex of chaos and jumbled emotions. He wanted to scream at someone, wanted to break something. His hands itched to seize something fragile and fling it across the room with all his might. He half-hoped a kidnapper or purse-snatcher would show up so he could kick a soccer ball at them. Suddenly, Conan found himself longing for a KID heist. Those loud and colorful events, free of murders and anguish, had always been a break from the dangers reality. And at the end of them, he was far too exhausted to even dream and had a pleasant, nightmare-free rest until the next morning.

But no doves or notes magically appeared at the Professor's door, and Conan had to accept that he would _not_ be getting a stress-relief session anytime soon. Instead, he silently got off the sofa, grabbed his skateboard, and forced himself to trudge home.

* * *

"G-gomenasai!" Rin gawked at Conan as the small boy hung his head. She had only just arrived at school, and suddenly found the mini detective running up to her and apologizing in the middle of the yard. Several kids gazed in their direction, no doubt curious as to why their first grade detective was bowing his head to his supposed girlfriend.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," he rambled on. "I had gotten caught up in a serious case and was feeling stressed, I didn't mean to snap at you!"

Rin winced at the memory. Conan's sudden outburst had come as a huge shock to her. He never lost his temper, only raising his voice when it was truly necessary. She had to admit, she had actually started crying after he left. Though she really wasn't sure why having a seven year old yelling at her was so painful.

"Ah, it's... okay, I guess," she said quietly. Conan's frantic words quickly ceased as he snapped his head up to look at her in surprise. "Though I do need to ask you something. Why was Sonoko Nee-chan passed out on the bed?"

Conan seemed to wince at that and glanced away. "I don't know," he muttered. "I ran out of the room as soon as I woke up." Rin's eyes narrowed. It was obviously a lie. He seemed fidgety and nervous, and was avoiding her gaze. But before she could demand the truth, the bell rang. With an obvious look of relief, the boy fled into the classroom, leaving a sighing Rin to follow behind.

When the Kobayashi-sensei came in, she looked bewildered and a bit dazed. "Um, class. We have _another_ new student."

"How many new kids can one class get?" Conan muttered beside her. "This has to be the fourth one."

Rin kept her head down, not even looking up as the new kid stepped into the room. But at the strangled gasp from Conan, she glanced his way. The bespectacled boy was staring, open-mouthed, with wide eyes. His face had paled dramatically. Curious, she looked at the new student.

He had messy, dark brown hair and cerulean eyes. There was a huge grin on his face, and a glint in his eyes as though he was about to dump ice down your shirt. But what really struck her was his face.

_'He looks exactly like Conan!'_ Rin thought with a gasp.

"It's nice to meet you," the boy grinned. "My name is Edogawa Shiroi. I believe you've met my brother?"

**HAHAHAHA! I've been wanting to do THIS for a long time now! So, I think I got out of character with Sonoko. I've never been good with her. :/ And tips, hints, secrets to share? Anyway, REVIEW! I COMMAND YOU! ...Would it help if I said please?**


	10. Not a New Student, But Close Enough

**Don't own DC~!**

The entire class was silent. Everyone was staring at the front of the classroom mutely, completely stunned by the sight before them; a grinning, messy haired duplicate of Conan. Twins, no doubt, they all thought. But this was quickly followed by another.

"Conan-kun has a brother?" Ayumi was the one to voice the question everyone was dying to ask. At her words, Conan flinched before glancing around nervously. Rin frowned to herself. Conan had been living with her for over a year, and she hadn't heard a single word about having a brother, let alone a twin! But then again, he didn't even talk about his parents…

"You didn't tell them about me?" Shiroi's grin was replaced by a hurt-looking frown. "Well, Conan and I are twins, you know. Not _quite_ identical, our faces are a bit different and I don't have vision problems." Rin glanced at Conan, as did many others, as though to compare the two of them. She really couldn't see it. The only way to properly distinguish the two from one another would be to have them standing side-by-side. Give or take the glasses and hairstyle, and they'd look exactly alike.

Rin frowned at the look on Conan's face. Total deer-in-the-headlights. He was staring, wide-eyed, at Shiroi. Then he seemed to twitch, and his features relaxed. The mask was up once again. Not his childish one, but the stonily calm expression he wore during a crisis.

Kobayashi-sensei quickly stepped in before any more questions could be asked. "Well, Shiroi-kun. You can sit in front of Conan-kun. Or are the two of you on bad terms…?" Her question was answered by Shiroi scampering to the named seat. He practically jumped into his chair before turning around and flashing a huge grin at Conan. The bespectacled boy only narrowed his eyes and glanced away.

Rin leaned over. "Is he really your brother?" She whispered. He seemed startled by the question.

"Yeah… When my parents were in the hospital, he stayed with my... Obaa-san. And later, when my parents were better, he went along with them." Was there a pause between his words, or was she just imagining things? Were Shiroi's shoulders tensed, or were her eyes playing tricks on her?

"Are you a detective?" Rin was snapped out of her thoughts at Ayumi's question. The girl was leaning over her desk to speak quietly with the new student. "Conan-kun's the best detective in the entire school!"

Rin couldn't see Shiroi's face, but she saw him shake his head in denial. "Nah. Conan's always been the mystery-otaku of the family." Several kids who heard giggled, while Conan scowled. "_I'm_ a magician." Shiroi turned fully around in his seat to face the back row. He flicked his wrist forward and two pink roses appeared in his hand. Ayumi clapped her hands in delight and Rin found herself gasping in awe. Grinning, the boy plucked one flower into his other hand and placed each rose on the girls' desks.

Conan was _definitely_ glaring now. He kept glancing at Rin's flower and then glowering at his brother. The long haired girl couldn't help but smile at the display of jealousy.

…Jealousy? Talk about wishful thinking. And now she was wishing a seven year old would get jealous. Rin suddenly felt the demanding urge to bang her head on the desk repeatedly.

As Kobayashi was announcing that they'd show Shiroi around the school, the boy put his hand in the air. "Actually sensei, I have a headache. Can I go up to the nurse's office?" He put up a convincing display of resting his head on his free hand.

The teacher frowned, as though suspecting trickery. But finally, with a sigh, she said, "Alright. Conan-kun, show your brother up to the nurse's office, alright?"

"Hai, sensei," Conan replied blankly. He and Shiroi stood up and scooted out of their rows. The two boys walked to the door and stepped into the hall.

Rin stared at the door. There was no doubt about it, Shiroi was trying to get Conan alone. Steeling her resolve, and hoping she wouldn't get in trouble, she put her own hand in the air.

"Yes, Rin-chan?"

"Sensei, may I use the bathroom?"

"Alright, but be quick!" Rin sprang up and forced herself to walk to the door. The moment she was out, she ran in the direction she thought Conan had gone. She turned a corner to see the two boys walking quickly down the hall. Green eyes narrowing, the shrunken teen gave chase.

* * *

Rin bit her lip as she slipped outside, onto the abandoned playground. She saw Conan and Shiroi hurry over to a pair of tall stone planters, disappearing behind them without a trace. She glanced around, making sure they couldn't see her before scampering over to hide on the other side. She hoisted herself up onto the stone wall, getting a perfect view of the tops of their heads as she crouched there.

Conan was the first to speak. He took a breath and sighed before saying, "Alright. How the hell did you get mixed into this, kid?" Rin frowned. For someone who hadn't seen their brother in months, Conan was acting pretty cold.

Yet Shiroi only snickered. "I started to wonder."

"About how I got like this?" Conan asked, seeming to gesture to himself.

She saw Shiroi's head nod. "I did a bit of investigation and found the Black Syndicate. Who would've guessed that a thief and a detective were both being targeted by the same group?"

"_Ssssshhhh!"_ The bespectacled boy hissed. "Don't talk about them in public, idiot! And how did you get involved with _Them_ anyway?"

"Oh, come on. Do you really think they bugged a _playground?_" Shiroi scoffed. Conan mumbled something under his breath. "As to how I got involved... it's a long story. In a nutshell, my father was murdered, I became the Kaitou KID to figure out who did it, and I found them."

Something clicked. That boy- Shiroi- was the Kaitou KID. Probably a victim to the same drug she was! _'But then why is he talking to Conan-kun? Unless... but, no. That's not possible.'_

"...I'm sorry..." Conan murmured, for lack of anything better to say.

His "brother" shrugged. "I would say it's okay... but it's not. He was murdered. But that's not the point. I told you my story, Tantei-kun, now you need to tell me yours."

Conan visibly stiffened. "I bit off more than I could chew. Saw Them making an illegal transaction, got caught, and was force fed the drug and left for dead. Which reminds me, who the hell poisoned you?"

"Does 'Vermouth' ring a bell?" If Rin had been paying attention, she would've seen Conan flinch before freezing up. But she was lost in her own whirlwind of thoughts, theories, and wild accusations. Accusations that didn't seem so crazy anymore.

"Vermouth," The pure venom in Conan's voice jerked the shrunken girl back to reality. "I swear, the next time I see her I'm going to _force_ her to tell me _where the hell Ran is."_ Rin's eyes went wide. Ran. Not Ran Nee-chan, just Ran. Like an old friend, someone she had known for years. Almost like...

"...Shinichi..."

She breathed his name so quietly it would be a miracle for anyone to hear. But they heard it. And suddenly she found herself staring right into the eyes of Conan, drowning in the cerulean of his bright orbs despite the fake lenses that hid them.

"R-rin-chan?" He choked out. "How do you know that na-?" he cut himself off as his eyes went wide. "N-no way." The boy backed away, his breathing picking up. "R-ran?"

That did it. She had no idea what to do or say, her mind shut down and her body took over. She took off running, not caring who saw. And judging by the rapid footsteps behind her, Conan and Shiroi... No, Shinichi and KID, were giving chase. She was running towards the doors of the school when a hand curled around her arm. She found herself spun around to face the glare of Conan and the blank face of Shiroi.

"Ran!" Conan snapped. "Calm down and let me explain!"

"Why should I? You've been lying to me for a year!"

"You lied too! You could've told me!"

"I didn't know you were Shinichi!"

"You have my phone number, don't you?" At that, she froze. That was true. Though she didn't know Shinichi was Conan, she did have his cell phone number. She could've called him at any time. But she still had one last argument.

"Well I didn't tell you to protect you!" Rin yelled, her voice rising in pitch.

Conan glared. "And why do you think _I _lied?"

Rin's mouth fell open in an 'O'. Conan nodded, his point proven. "C'mon, let's go to my house. My _real_ house. By the way, Ran, meet Kaitou KID."

Shiroi flashed her a grin. "I see you have joined the ranks of the vertically challenged, Mouri-san. I'd tip my hat to you, but I'm afraid it's gotten a bit too big." He winked.

"Cut the act," Conan growled. "Listen, let's just skip school today and get to my house. There we can explain everything."

* * *

Soon, the three shrunken teens were sitting in the living room of the Kudo Mansion. Shiroi let out a low whistle. "Nice library. Let's see, there's Holmes, Ellery Queen- thought you hated those books."

Conan rolled his eyes. "I don't hate them, I just prefer Doyle. How'd you know that, anyway?"

"Ways and means..." The boy's jaw suddenly dropped. "Is that Night Baron?" He asked.

The bespectacled boy smirked. "My dad's the author, remember?"

"_Anyway_," Rin interrupted. "Aside from your interesting discussion about books, I think it's time we talk about the situation at hand."

"Ah, right." Conan said sheepishly.

Rin only sighed, muttering, "Holmes freak," under her breath.

Conan opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a rap at the door. Groaning, the boy walked over to his door and opened it. There, a kid and a teen were standing. The teen was a girl, with green eyes and her hair tied back in a ponytail. He knew her well- Kazuha Toyama. The other was a small boy with spiky hair and a dark Osaka tan.

"No way..." Conan breathed.

"Kudo," the shrunken Heiji Hattori growled. "We need to talk."

**Why, yes, I DID just shrink Heiji. It's a whole parade! So what did you think? Too fast? Did I cross a forbidden line? Tell me in your REVIEW!**

**VVVVV**


	11. Explanations and Plans

***jaw hits floor* 100 reviews? ...WHOOOOOOOO! Thank you all! -hugs everyone- If I could, I'd give everyone here cookies and a bottle of awesome sauce.  
**

**Don't own DC! If I did, I'd probably have an angry mob after me cause suddenly the logic of a VERY logical manga would be thrown out the window.**

Before Conan knew it, his hand had come up and stuck itself firmly on his face. "No way. Kami, _please_, tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me." He removed the hand. Mini-Heiji and Kazuha were still there, the former of the two glaring at him with defiance no seven year old should have.

"Ya done, Kudo?" Heiji asked.

"No not quite," he replied dully. Then he turned to the doorframe and began banging his head against it.

Something dawned on Kazuha. "Wait… you mean _this_ is Kudo?"

"Give the aho a prize!" Heiji said sarcastically. "No, he's the shrunken Kaitou KID!"

"Wrong, _he's_ in the kitchen, trying to make something to eat." Conan's voice didn't hold an ounce of humor as he spoke. Heiji lifted a brow, and the Tokyo detective only sighed. "Never mind, come in." He stepped aside, allowing the now-bickering duo to walk in. Silently, the shrunken boy led them into the living room. Just as Kazuha and Heiji sat down on a couch, there was a scream.

"OH DEAR KAMI, GET THAT _THING_ AWAAAAAAAAAAY!"

Shiroi bolted out of the kitchen, screaming bloody murder as he ran. His eyes were bugging out and his hands were flailing. Now, it was a common fact that Kudo Shinichi _never_ panicked. Not visibly, at least. Which had made many people wonder just how the shrunken detective would appear if he did freak out. Seeing as Shiroi was basically Conan's identical twin, Heiji and Kazuha were gifted with a very realistic image of that look. Suddenly the screaming boy's foot caught on the leg of a chair and he tumbled to the ground, face-planting right into the carpet.

Conan stared at his fallen form, unimpressed. "Hattori, Toyama-chan, meet Kaitou KID. I'm afraid he's having a mental breakdown at the moment." With that, he walked calmly past Shiroi, nudging the boy with his foot as he passed. The thief gave a spastic twitch before going still once more. Groaning aloud, he walked into the kitchen where a very confused Rin was standing.

"What happened?" The detective sighed.

Rin shrugged helplessly. "I was looking in the fridge to find something for lunch and found a fish in there. I pulled it out and he started screaming like he was being killed by an axe murderer."

Conan blinked. Oh, that was right. His parents had visited last week and restocked the fridge... It seemed they had bought some fish, too. Which meant...

"Kaitou KID has ichthyophobia?" He murmured aloud. Rin gave him a blank look. "Fear of fish," he clarified, and she nodded. Though why on _Earth_ an internationally wanted criminal would be afraid of fish, he'd never know. And the thief would never tell.

"Anyway, Hattori and Toyama-chan are here. Come and meet them. Just a warning, Hattori looks a bit... different." With that, he led Rin into the living room. Shiroi was now in a sitting position, seeming to have calmed down, though his breathing was irregular. Heiji was glancing around in a bored manner while Kazuha kept switching her stare from her childhood friend to the thief.

Hattori was the first to notice them. At the sight of Rin, a grin spread on his face. "Ooooh! So _this_ is the little girl ya were talking about."

Conan blushed lightly before glaring. "Well, I'd like you to meet the world's most hot-blooded, loud-mouthed, and downright _irritating _detective around, _and_ the winner of the Unable-to-Keep-my-Mouth-Freakin-Shut Award. Chibi version." His sarcasm was reaching a whole new level. Finding out that your two best friends along with your greatest rival have been shrunk into first graders tended to have that side effect. Not to mention that all three of them dropped on him in one day. It was stressful, to say in the least. He seriously needed a cup of coffee to clear his mind. Or a reason to kick a soccer ball at someone.

Kazuha's mouth fell open. Apparently seeing a seven year old speaking fluent sarcasm was a shocker. Heiji was glaring at him as Shiroi began to snigger, and Rin only rolled her eyes.

Finally, someone else spoke. "So let me get this straight," Kazuha said. "You've been hiding under Ran-chan's nose all this time, watching her as she cried and worried over you, listening to her secrets and invading her privacy, _lying_ to her for a whole year!" The girl was getting to her feet, cracking her knuckles dangerously. Conan paled. He knew that look. It was Ran's I'm-gonna-beat-the-crap-outta-you expression, Kazuha-style.

Slowly, the boy began to back away. An irate grin was on the Osakan girl's face. Even Heiji shrank back at the aura of fury shrouding the teen. "KUDO!" Kazuha roared. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO RAN-CHAN!"

Conan's dignity went out the window. He did what any sane person would while facing an angry Kazuha- he fled. "Ra~n!" He wailed. Kazuha was hot on his heels as he darted through the house. They made a circuit through the kitchen and living room, ignoring the slightly-amused and bewildered stares of the other mini-teens. Finally, Conan settled for his last resort and hid behind Rin. "Ran!" He squeaked, his already high-pitched voice jumping up an octave. "I kind of enjoy being alive- can you please tell _her_ that?"

Kazuha froze. Her green eyes went wide as Heiji's jaw dropped. "Nee-chan?" He asked.

"Ran-chan?" Kazuha said at the same time.

"H-hey, Kazuha-chan," Rin said with a sheepish smile.

Heiji frowned slightly. "Wait..." he said slowly. "Weren't yer eyes blue before?"

Rin groaned. "They're contacts," she explained. "You know, I really wished I just kept my normal eye color. Contacts are _scratchy_. Not to mention they got me in trouble with a serial killer." Something seemed to dawn on her. "Wait a minute..." Her expression became horrified. "_You saw me naked!_"

Conan paled slightly before jumping to his own defense. "Would you have preferred dying of hypothermia?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And what about before that? Like the hot spring?"

Shiroi grinned and let out a low whistle. "I'm impressed, Tantei-kun. I didn't know you had it in you."

"I don't! T-that was your fault, Ran!" the boy spluttered. "You _dragged _me in there against my will!"Shifting his gaze up to Heiji he hurriedly asked, "A-anyway. Do you care to tell me _how_ you got like that and _why_ she knows?" He waved a frantic hand in Kazuha's direction, who glared venomously at him, accompanied by Rin. He suppressed a shiver.

Heiji sighed. "I think someone must've poisoned my food. All I know is that one moment I'm eating takoyaki, the next I'm three feet tall. As for how she found out..."

"I figured it out somewhere between him collapsing on the ground screaming and turning into a seven year old." Kazuha finished dryly. She was glowering at Conan and he scowled back as she continued with vehemence, "I _swear_ to Kami that if Heiji doesn't get better I am going to _kill_ you and hide the body somewhere the police will never find. And don't think I won't, Kudo, my best friend's a detective." The look she was giving him was so venomous that he had no doubts she would carry out her threat... or at least beat him beyond recognition.

"Not if I don't first..." Rin growled darkly.

Shiroi grinned. "Be sure to invite me to his funeral," he said cheerily. "I'll bring the flowers. Do you like roses?"

Conan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I'll explain later. And Ran, Toyama-chan, though I have no doubts that you are completely capable of killing me on the spot, I'd like to warn you that I've been hiding from murderers for a year now. I'm pretty good at keeping myself alive. Now what I'd like to know," he said, ignoring the rise in both Kazuha and Rin's eyebrows. "Is how you got mixed into this." His words were directed at Rin.

She sighed. He had successfully distracted her. "I don't really know. I walking home and took a short cut through the park. Suddenly a woman pinned me against the fence, drugged me, and then gave me a pill."

Conan's eyes narrowed. Detective-mode: ON. "Can you describe her to me?" He asked.

Rin closed her eyes, thinking back. "I know she was dressed in black. She had long hair, kind of silver-blond. You know, it feels like I've met her before!"

The Tokyo detective gave a loud, long sigh. He closed his eyes and readjusted his glasses and for a long time, he was silent. Then he finally said, "You have. You remember the trip to New York? When you met Sharon Vineyard." Hesitantly, Rin nodded. "That was her. I know her as Vermouth, a member of the Black Organization who fed us the Apoptoxin 4869. She was also disguised as the Serial Killer I saved... Thinking back on it, I'm not sure if I should wish I didn't save her." His lip curled in distaste. "Cynical woman. Seeing as she poisoned both you and KID, I think it would be reasonable to guess she was also responsible for Hattori."

Heiji rubbed his temples. "She's definitely up to something. Remind me again why I got involved with this?"

"Because you're a stubborn idiot who blackmailed me into telling the truth," came Conan's toneless response. The Osakan grinned and snapped his fingers.

"That's it! And here I had forgotten."

Kazuha interrupted their banter quickly. "So hang on. You're telling me that Heij, KID, and Ran-chan were all poisoned by a woman named Vermouth."

"That's right," Conan confirmed.

"Is there a reason _why_?"

The boy let out a long groan. "Look, I'll explain everything later. Long story short, she knows I'm Shinichi but hasn't told anyone yet. In any case, I think we better get to hakase's..."

* * *

Haibara glanced at the door for the two-hundredth time that day. Honestly, she didn't know why she kept looking at it. It was pretty obvious Kudo-kun and Shiroi were not returning. Kobayashi had been, to say in the least, considerably ticked off when she realized she'd been duped by the so-called twins. It also came as a huge shock to _everyone_ when they realized that top-of-the-class Edogawa Conan had skipped school. With Rin-chan, at that. The whole Conan's-dating-Rin thing had become pretty much official that day, much to Ayumi and the Rin/Conan-Fanclub's dismay. A good half of the class was currently sulking as they realized their hopes of dating either the genius detective or super-cute new girl had been crushed. Mitsuhiko and Genta, on the other hand, were _still_ exchanging looks of glee and plotting on how to embarrass Conan the next day.

Haibara was the only one who remained calm. At least, on the surface. Her mind was actually consumed in a torrent of confusion and slight paranoia. Who was Shiroi? He certainly held a striking resemblance to a certain miniature detective, but they were obviously not brothers. Kudo Shinichi was an only child. As was Edogawa Conan. Which brought up the question, how did "Shiroi" even know about Conan? By now, Haibara's paranoid side was taking over. Was it a member of the Syndicate? Had they somehow found out about the APTX's side effect and infiltrated the elementary school? It was possible. Perhaps they'd invented a new shrinking drug, or maybe they sent in an actual child. Recruiting children, though so far unheard of, was certainly not beneath them.

But that didn't make sense. If that were true, then they'd disguise as a normal child, not Conan's brother. Doing so would inevitably arouse suspicion, forcing the targets to go into hiding and-

But she was getting ahead of herself. The first step was to find Kudo-kun. Supposing that she could find him, and he had not been taken away by the Syndicate...

Just then, the shrill chiming of the school bell cut through her thoughts. The moment Kobayashi-sensei had dismissed the class, Haibara was out of her seat and running for the door. She ignored the Shounen Tantei and bolted right down the hall, not wasting a single second. She didn't stop running until she hit the sidewalk, when she finally slowed to a quick and steady gait.

When the strawberry-blond finally reached the Professor's house, the door was opened to reveal a very dazed Agasa. "Ai-kun," he said, sounding very bewildered. "I think I've finally lost it."

She frowned. "And why is that?"

"I think it has something to do with Kudo's identical twin wreaking havoc in the living room." Haibara started slightly at the unfamiliar voice. She glanced down to see a dark-skinned boy with green eyes smirking at her.

"Hattori-kun?" She asked, letting only a hint of shock slip into her voice.

The smirk widened. "Nice to see ya again, Nee-chan." With that, he turned around and walked back into the house. Haibara wordlessly followed him into the living room. The first thing she saw was Shiroi. The boy was racing around the room, leaping over chairs and scampering around tables with the nimbleness of a cat. Conan was furiously giving chase, shouting loudly at him as his twin only laughed. The two boys were leaping around the room like a couple of monkeys, never tripping or stumbling once. Suddenly Conan jumped off the couch, kicking off the edge for extra force. He flew at Shiroi, tackling the boy to the ground and pinning him there. Sitting on the couches was Rin and a teenager Haibara recognized as Toyama Kazuha.

"What is going on here?" Haibara asked.

Conan, who was now sitting on Shiroi's chest, glanced up at her. "Oh, hey, Haibara," He greeted. His voice was light, but somewhat stressed. "Sorry for skipping out. I was trying to figure out what the Kaitou KID was doing at my school." He shot the boy beneath him a hard look.

Shiroi grinned at Haibara. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, not seeming to mind being sat on. "I'm afraid our previous encounters have been rather brief."

Haibara's eyes widened in shock. Rin wasn't even five feet away! "Edogawa-kun! Akiyama-chan is-"

"Actually Ran." He cut in. "Seems Vermouth has been out having fun with ruining our lives."

Rin looked at Haibara in surprise. "Shinichi? Does Ai-chan know?" She asked. Suddenly Haibara realized her eyes were no longer green, but instead a dark shade of blue. They were undoubtedly the eyes of Mouri Ran... So much like Akemi's.

Conan sighed. He'd been doing that a lot that day. "Sorry for not telling you yet. I figured it would be easier to tell you while she was here. Haibara is actually another victim of the APTX, along with its inventor. She used to be a member of the Black Organization under the name Sherry. However, when they tried to kill her, she took the poison and escaped. Since then, she's been helping me with cases along with trying to create an antidote."

Haibara's usually narrow eyes widened. "Kudo-kun..." she said quietly. "What is going on here?"

* * *

Explanations were made. The stories of the Apoptoxin were told, followed by KID's own tale of the legendary gem Pandora. The room was filled with gasping, laughing, awkward silences, yelling, and even a few tears as everyone finally came clean and told the truth.

"So yer telling us," Heiji said as he stared disdainfully at Shiroi. "Is that yer after a legendary gem that may or may not exist, glows in the moonlight, and sheds tears of immortality when a comet comes by every thousand years or so."

"That just about sums it up," Shiroi said with a nod and a smirk.

Heiji, Conan, and Haibara stared. He really shouldn't have expected two detectives and a scientist to believe that. As though to confirm this, Heiji said, "There's no way that thing is real."

"I dunno," Kazuha said. "I'm sitting next to a kid who was older than me a few days ago. Seems pretty believable to me."

Heiji gave her a scornful look. "That's just cause yer a superstitious aho."

"Who's the aho, aho!"

"Didn't ya hear me? Get yer ears cleaned, aho!"

"Aho!"

"Aho-"

"ENOUGH!" Rin shouted. The two Osakans fell silent and resorted to trying to stare each other ground.

"...Why are we friends with them?" Conan asked her. She elbowed him sharply, causing him to wince. "Alright, I get it!" He turned to a grinning Shiroi to say, "Anyway, you know who we are. Are you ever going to tell us your real name?" The boy hesitated, and Conan added, "We won't tell the police, I promise."

Shiroi smirked once more. "I'll hold you to that promise. Kuroba Kaito, ace magician, at your service!" He made a plucking motion in midair and suddenly a white rose was in his hand. With a grin, he held it out towards Haibara. The scientist looked up at him coldly...

...And stared...

...And stared...

...And kept on staring. Not blinking, not showing any emotion except pure disdain. The small magician's shoulder began to creep up towards his ears as he became increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, he glanced away with a cough and returned the flower to who-knows-where. Heiji snickered while Conan only sent him a sympathetic glance. Even between sworn rivals, feelings of pity could be shared.

An awkward silence fell upon the room. Agasa, who had been quiet the entire time, shifted nervously. Rin was the one to finally speak.

"So, what do we do now?"

Shiroi spoke after a moment. "Um, Haibara?" The scientist glanced at him again and he quickly avoided her eyes. "I heard you have some temporary antidotes. Could I take one? My friend, Aoko, is probably getting worried... Besides, I have a plan!"

Haibara lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose I could. I'll need to run a few tests, though."

Conan frowned. "Hang on. Couldn't they just take one of the antidotes you've already made?"

Haibara gave him her signature Look. "Kudo-kun, the actual likeliness of anyone experiencing the side-effect of the Apoptoxin is very low. For everyone in this room, aside from Toyama-san and Hakase, to be fed the original drug _and_ survive is next to impossible. Vermouth must have had one of the scientists alter the drug. Because of that, there's a chance that taking the antidote could not only be dangerous, but possibly even lethal to them."

Shiroi swallowed nervously. "Non-lethal would be appreciated." He gulped.

Haibara smirked and nodded. "Now, Kuroba-kun. What plan did you have in mind?"

The boy's nervousness faded, replaced by the familiar smirk of Kaitou KID. "Isn't it obvious?" He drawled lazily. "We're going to have a KID heist."

**Ugh, sorry for not updating. I've been suffering from both writers block and a lack of something to actually write with. Anyway, I'd like to give credit to Hallolo and an anonymous reviewer "Me" for pointing out that the shrinking effect has a one-in-a-million chance of occurring. I had honestly forgotten that, so thanks to them, I was able to make it so the story was reasonable. **

**I'd also like to point out that school will be starting for me again, soon. Though I won't be completely sidetracked, my writing will probably slow down considerably. Most of my inspiration strikes at midnight, and I can't exactly be writing well into the morning when I have school that day. x3 **

**Anyway, I need to get some sleep. Maybe I'll dream of something inspirational! Actually, that's unlikely. Most of my dreams make no sense whatsoever. Like the thing with the eel, and then there was the dinosaurs... Don't ask. Eh, I'm drabbling again. Bad habit...  
**

**One last thing. I'm not sure if the concept of KID shrinking and then having a heist is overused. I've only seen one KID shrink-fic besides my own.  
**

**Soo... REVIEW! -runs off laughing for no reason-  
**


	12. Excuses and Alligator Tears

***eyetwitch* I'm writing this with a phone right next to me. It's attached to the wall, so I can't take it off. And it keeps ringing ever few minutes and I SWEAR IT'S GOING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK**!

_RIIING_

**THERE IT GOES AGAIN! DGESLVESVAEYFHJEG!**

**Don't own DC.**

* * *

Shiroi held a small capsule between his fingers. He was dressed in a pair of Shinichi's clothes, looking utterly ridiculous in the drastically over sized outfit. "So you're telling me," he began. "Is that this tiny thing will give me the symptoms of a cold before reverting me back to my original body, right? And it will last for..."

"Two days," Haibara confirmed, face as creepily emotionless as ever. It had been a little over a week since they chibi-parade had trooped in. For the most part, Heiji and Kazuha were hiding the the Kudo house. Shiroi stayed there, too, and to Heiji's displeasure, Kazuha had praised him highly for his cooking skills. Though he wouldn't touch seafood with a ten foot long pole, he was quite efficient in the kitchen. From what the magician had said, he was also home alone quite often, and developed cooking skills because of it.

At this, Rin had turned to Conan with a huge smirk on her face.

Haibara continued, "Luckily, it seems the the structure of the original antidote didn't require much alteration. Seeing as Kudo has not died yet, there is a high probability you will survive. That should give you more than enough time to come up with a good story for Nakamori-san and complete this plan of yours. Speaking of which, are you certain it will actually work? Following a member of the Syndicate is idiotic, to say in the least." That was Shiroi's "plan." To try and follow the hitman who was constantly trying to take him down. And though Haibara's tone was scornful, Conan could spot the underlying worry in her eyes. It had taken a few months, but now he was almost as good at reading Haibara's emotions as he was with Ran(Rin, whatever).

Shiroi only shrugged, though he seemed a bit disturbed by the chance he could die. Then again, anyone would. "You also said becoming a Phantom Thief to lure out my dad's killers was stupid. Well, not only did I find them, but also their motive. And I'm not dead yet, so I'll assume that I'm doing a decent job so far." With a smirk, he popped the pill into his mouth and took a gulp of water sitting in a glass beside him. Immediately, Haibara checked the clock.

"You should begin showing signs of a cold in the next..."

"AH-CHOOO!"

"...Ten seconds."

Conan, Rin, Haibara, Heiji, and Kazuha watched with interest as Shiroi grew more and more sickly. The sneezes were quickly joined by coughs, which grew hoarser by the second. His face grew pale and sweaty and he began to complain of a sore throat. Cell phones and watches were rapidly checked in an attempt to keep track of how many minutes were left before the transformation. As the last minute began to tick by, the bespectacled boy cast an anxious glance at Rin.

"Are you sure you want to watch this?" He asked. He knew better than anyone just how painful the change was.

But the girl nodded, her nervous expression mixing with one of determination. "I need to see what you've been going through," she forced out. Just then, the first whimpers left Shiroi's mouth. The tiny magician twitched slightly and the beads of sweat on his face began to multiply. He suddenly flinched as the first waves of pain struck, falling to the ground and doing nothing to try and stand again. The boy's emotionless mask began to crack and a startled gasp left his mouth, quickly turning to one of agony.

Rin and Kazuha had paled, both clutching the hands of their childhood friends. Heiji was visibly shaken, and Conan himself shuddered. Watching was just as bad as actually transforming. It was an impossible choice. Would he rather experience the pain, or see others do so? His grip on Rin's hand tightened as she turned her face into his shoulder, unable to continue looking on.

The first cry left Shiroi's mouth, making everyone but Haibara flinch. It quickly escalated into a long scream of agony. He writhed in place, hands digging into the carpet in desperate search of something to relieve the pain. The magician buried his face in the floor, muffling the shriek. Somehow that only made it worse. Judging by the wetness on both Conan and Heiji's shoulders, Rin and Kazuha had started crying. As the cry reached its loudest point, a shudder ran through the boy's body. With a morbid blend of fascination and horror, the detectives stared as his entire body grew, the legs lengthening, face narrowing, shoulders becoming broad and lean muscle appearing. Slowly but steadily, the scream was reduced to hoarse shouts, then whimpers, and finally only a pained moan before the boy fell unconscious.

Rin was shaking. Somewhere along the way, Conan had wrapped his arms around her, the screams triggering his protective instincts. Slowly, the girl lifted her head to gaze at him. Her dark blue eyes were damp with tears. "You go through that?" She rasped out. "Every time?"

His muscles had to work to clear his throat. As much as he wanted to tell her that no, he did not, or that it wasn't so bad, he knew he couldn't. She'd never believe him. So instead he opened his mouth and quietly said, "Yeah. I do." Her already pasty face turned white at his confirmation as though she'd been hoping he'd say no. Taking a deep breath, he forced his arms to unlock and pulled away from her. He shakily got to his feet and walked over towards Shiroi's, or rather Kaito's, limp form.

With no objection from Haibara, Conan hesitantly prodded the teen's arm with a finger. A muffled moan left Kaito's mouth but he didn't stir. He began shaking the magician's shoulder in an attempt to gently wake him. Finally, with a low groan, he rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. The entire room remained silent. Looking at the magician, panting with pain and exhaustion, caused everyone in the room to wonder if they were perhaps looking at Shinichi Kudo on his sickbed. Everyone except Conan, of course. But then they slowly realized his eyes were a few shades darker, and his hair much more untidy.

Taking a breath to calm himself, Conan asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was burned alive, had a heart attack, and lived to tell the tale," Came the hoarse reply. Then Kaito broke off with a harsh fit of coughing. Irritated, he added, "And I still have a cold!"

Haibara watched him through narrowed eyes. "And there is no left over pain? No head ache or even muscle spasms?"

Kaito shook his head. "Aside from this sore throat, I'm fine," he rasped back.

The small scientist nodded and continued, "Alright. The worst of the cold symptoms should fade by nightfall, though you'll have to deal with some coughing and a sore throat during your heist."

"Great," he sighed. "How am I supposed to mimic voices like this?"

Slowly, Heiji seemed to recover from the shock. "I'll never get used to that," he said with a shiver. He had _heard_ his friend transform- and that was bad enough. But watching it, looking on but being unable to help... It was horrible. Nightmarish. When working on a case, he could help. He could find killers and kidnappers and possibly save the victim. But here, he was useless.

* * *

**(A/N: _*Phone rings*_**

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! I'M GOING TO TURN THAT THING INTO SCRAPS!)**

* * *

Soon, Kaito and Conan were walking through the streets of Ekoda. People stared as they walked, no doubt wondering what two boys were doing when they should be in school. It was only noon, there were still a few hours to go before class was dismissed for the day. But the magician was impatient, instead of waiting around for two or three hours, he made a beeline for the high school, dragging Conan along with him. Before the detective even knew what was happening, Kaito had signed himself in at the front office and was dragging him to a classroom on the second floor.

When the magician threw open the door to his class, every eye was suddenly on the pale teen. Kaito grinned and threw out his arms. "I'm ba~ck!" He sang, only to break off once more with a cough. Conan's eyes locked onto a movement at the back of the room. Slowly, Aoko Nakamori rose out of her seat. She began to stalk forward, radiating a dark aura that made the shrunken detective take a step back. He already knew that Aoko held an incredible resemblance to Ran(though perhaps not as much as Kaito did to him). But this was just freaky.

Because that aura was the same one Ran got whenever he got into trouble.

"Where..." She began quietly. "Have. You. BEEN?!" The entire class flinched at the sudden shout. "A WEEK, KAITO! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR OVER A WEEK AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN CALL ME!" Conan winced. Big mistake, buddy. Suddenly the girl was beating Kaito down with a mop, mercilessly whacking him on the arms, knees, head. The magician was unable to escape in his weakened state. Instead, Kaito shot a look at Conan that clearly read _"Save Me."_

...Wait, where did she get that mop?

...Never mind.

Conan widened his eyes until they began to sting and then began blinking rapidly. Wetness formed in the corners of his eyes and he knew he had successfully created alligator tears. He darted forward and cried out, "Don't hurt Kai Nii-chan!"

Several loud "Awwwww!"s could be heard from every girl there. Aoko paused to look at the 'crying' boy.

"I-it's my fault! I g-got sick and I was coughing and it r-really hurt here!" He put a hand on his throat. "K-Kaito Nii-chan was taking care of me c-cause my parents aren't home and now he g-got sick, t-too! He couldn't go to school b-because he was sick, and it's all my fault!" He blinked, allowing the tears to slip down his cheeks.

The anger melted off of Aoko's face. Ignoring Kaito(now using the wall for support), she knelt down in front of Conan with a guilty look. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I just got mad cause Nii-chan made me worry. I'm Aoko, what's your name?"

Feeling sickened by his act, the shrunken detective gave her a hopeful look. "Really? M-my name's Conan." Then, just to spite the magician, "Oh, I get it! Kaa-san got mad at Tou-san when he got into a car crash! Are you and Kai Nii-chan like Tou-san and Kaa-san?"

To his satisfaction, Aoko blushed before yelling, "No way! Who'd want to go out with a jerk like him?"

"Who'd want to go with a flat-chested girl like you?" Kaito retorted.

"Bakaito!" She shouted, before proceeding to beating him with a mop again. And no matter how much he begged Conan, the boy refused to aid him again. Luckily for him, though, someone else served as a distraction.

"Is that you, Conan-kun?"

Eyes widening, he glanced up. There, a boy with dirty blond hair and blue eyes was looking down at him, a faint smile on his face. "Hakuba!" Conan exclaimed, then hurriedly added, "Nii-san."

Aoko paused in her beating. "You two know each other?"

Hakuba nodded. "This kid has been with me during two cases, the Detective Koshien and at Twilight Mansion." He crouched down, putting a hand on Conan's head and saying, "He's great at drawing conclusions! Though I didn't know he and Kuroba were on such close terms."

With a bright smile, Conan said, "You've heard of Shinichi Nii-chan, right? We're related! And Shinichi Nii-chan and Kaito Nii-chan are are friends!" Admittedly, he came up with that on the spot. Though it was true, the Kudos and Kurobas were good friends. He was fairly certain that his mom was off visiting Chikage Kuroba, Kaito's mom.

_'So Hakuba's here? Great. Things just got a lot more complicated.' _Conan thought to himself with a sigh.

* * *

"So you're saying that your mom is taking you on a trip to Hawaii, and you're not sure how long it will take?" Hakuba asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. School had ended some minutes ago, and the blond detective had decided to tag along with Kaito and Aoko for whatever reason.

"That's right," Kaito confirmed, before coughing. "See, the Kudos told Kaa-san about their trip to Hawaii. Apparently it was a great vacation, and Shinichi enjoyed it, so she got all excited and decided to drag me along." He grinned and put an arm around Aoko's shoulders. "Try not to miss me too much, alright?"

Instead of the mop-to-the-face he was expecting, she turned around and hugged him. Immediately, a pink blush lit up Kaito's cheeks. Hakuba chuckled while Conan only smiled, mentally replacing the two of them with himself and Ran. The magician awkwardly put his own arms around her, trying and failing to not look completely flustered and embarrassed.

Though Hakuba was tempted to make a mocking comment about Kaito being KID, he restrained himself.

But he silently promised himself it was a one-time thing.

Finally, goodbyes were given and Kaito led Conan to his house. There, he reluctantly showed Conan his secret room behind Toichi's portrait and began to plot for the heist approaching the next night.

* * *

**So, I'm not really sure just how well I did with Hakuba. It's my first time using him. But he seemed to like Conan at the Detective Koshien(though it could have been just to spite Heiji) so I'd imagine they get along decently. Not to mention the Holmes obsession. Though there really wasn't much Conan-Hakuba interaction.**

**Anyway, another most uneventful chapter. HOWERVER, the next one will be. -grin- Definitely. -runs off, laughing maniacally-**

**-runs back- REVIEW! -runs off again-**


	13. Expect the Unexpected

**Alright, I was asked about Hakuba's reaction to Aoko hugging Kaito. Normally I'd reply in a PM, but that was a guest review, so I can't. Anyway, although Hakuba has been shown to flirt with Aoko, I believe that's just to annoy Kaito. He did the same thing at the Detective Koushien, promising the female detective he would "Solve the case for her," but it's possible he just wanted to irritate Heiji.**

**Anyway, hope you guys were satisfied with that. ^^**

* * *

Helicopters circled the skyscraper, casting spotlights along the windows and down upon the crowd. As the lights hit the people below, a sea of white was shown. It seemed everyone was wearing some kind of "Support Kaitou KID" shirt, which were, of course, white. Within the skyscraper was the Taskforce, led by Nakamori Ginzo. Hakuba and Conan were there, too, along with Heiji, Rin, and Kazuha. As for Kaito...

An officer with a boyish face gazed around with an excited grin. Colored contacts turned his blue eyes brown, and fake black hair peaked out from under his hat. His cheek bore pink marks where Nakamori had given it a thorough yanking. Honestly, how long would it take for someone to figure out that he didn't always use masks? That officer was now crouched on the floor, speaking animatedly with Edogawa Conan.

"So do you think a Phantom Thief can legally sue?" He asked with a grin.

Conan sighed. "Hard to say. KID isn't exactly legal if you know what I mean. Why do you care?" He lifted a brow. Why would he want to sue anyone, anyway?

The officer(Kaito) shrugged. "Just wondering if KID actually gave his permission to have his own merchandise. Seriously, I saw these little Kaitou KID dolls the other day. They come with a bunch of separately sold disguises. So far I've seen a Taskforce officer, Nakamori-keibu, his daughter, and a few other random things."

The small detective stared. "That's just... creepy." Was all he could say. But he was quickly interrupted by the chiming of the clock. It tolled ten times, announcing that the heist would begin in just a few minutes. Kaito stood up and smirked.

"Better get to my station," he chuckled, before hurrying off to join the other officers. They formed a ring around a glass case, a single gem within its confines. The target was known as the Sakura Diamond, said to have been found under a sakura tree. As Kaito cast a glance at it, he smirked. It was a fake. The owner of the diamond had firmly insisted upon placing a decoy in the case and have the Inspector personally guard the real one.

All eyes were on the clock. Hakuba had his timepiece out, eying it carefully. Ten minutes had passed.

Heiji glanced around, watching for suspicious characters. Eleven minutes.

Kazuha stretched again, preparing to use Aikido in case anything went wrong. Twelve minutes.

Ran fiddled with the Shounen Tantei badge in her pocket, knowing she could contact Haibara if needed. Thirteen minutes.

Conan's hand rested on the gun he had expertly concealed within his jacket. It _was_ the Black Organization they were dealing with. Fourteen minutes.

A grin pulled at Kaito's lips as he fingered the switch in his hand. Fifteen minutes.

He pushed the switch, and the entire room was concealed in darkness. Startled shouts filled the room as officers fumbled around without sight. A low hiss sounded as sleeping gas filled the room. Nakamori and Hakuba, both experienced with KID's tricks, pulled out a cloth and held it over their nose and mouths, as did Conan and the others. They also brought out flashlights... Only to see that the batteries had been removed.

A muffled curse came from Nakamori.

Seconds later, the lights flicked back on. The fake Sakura Diamond was gone. Eyes widening, the Inspector checked his pockets. Was it possible...?

Nope, not possible. Such a basic trick would never fool KID. Both diamonds had been stolen, the real _and_ the fake one. But instead of exploding in rage like expected, Nakamori only smirked and took out something else. It was like a GPS, with little red dots all over the screen. One dot was moving farther and farther away from the others.

Before the heist had began, Nakamori had placed trackers on every Taskforce uniform. He knew KID often disguised himself as an officer. So it was highly likely that the thief would do it again. And Nakamori had been correct. Judging by the red dot that was steadily distancing itself from the rest, KID had done exactly as expected.

With a grin, the Inspector called to the officers outside the room and hurried off, the detectives following close behind.

* * *

KID smirked as he ran. Silly, silly Inspector! Did he really think such a something as simple as that could fool him? The thief had easily found and then plucked off the tracker. As he entered another room, he approached an officer. After lightly tapping him on the shoulder(and placing the tracker onto the officer), he coughed into his hand before saying in a low voice, "KID is heading towards the bottom floor. Gather up the others and meet Nakamori-keibu down there."

"And what's your name?" The officer asked.

"Ah, it's Masao Kaneshiro," KID replied, pretending to have been caught off guard.

"And may I see your ID?"

"Oh, sure." He reached into his pocket, acting confused when he found nothing. Then his face lit up with apparent realization as he pulled a wallet out of his back pocket, pulling out a fake ID he had created.

The officer nodded and hurried off to gather his companions. The room quickly emptied. Grinning once again, the thief darted for the stairs. If he was correct, this was one of the "Big Gems" Snake was after. He'd confront the marksman as usual, escape, and then follow him from there. Tantei-kun and Tantei-han, along with their girlfriends(Ahem, _childhood_ friends), would keep in touch with him via cell phone.

Soon, the disguised thief reached the roof. He threw open the door, expecting to be greeted by a blast of cold air.

Instead, two large men dressed in black were there. Both held loaded guns, aimed at him. Another man approached from behind, this one with black fedora and a stupid mustache.

Snake.

"This KID, sir?" One of the guards asked.

Snake narrowed his eyes, seizing KID's cheek and pulling. When no mask came off, he released the teen. "No. Too young. I think this one was trying to catch the thief on the roof." He grinned leeringly at KID. "You're coming with us, boy. If you try to escape, I promise you'll regret it." He fingered his gun.

KID swallowed nervously as they took him by the arms and began leading him back downstairs. _'What is this? Normally it's just Snake, maybe a few other men. But then why are they revealing themselves?'_ Somehow, he had a very bad feeling about this.

They took him back to the Sakura Diamond's room. There, he was greeted by a terrible sight. Most of the officers were awake by now, but were sitting against the walls. Several sported bloodied wounds on their arms or legs. After a brief glance around, he saw Conan and the others there, too. Hakuba was also captured, gazing around in shock. The men forced KID over to sit by the blond detective, giving him a hard shove when he didn't move.

The thief stumbled over and, glaring at the men, sat down by the detective. Unable to do anything for now, he began to observe the officers. Most seemed angry, or frightened. Then his eyes fell upon a familiar face. _'No way- Aoko?!'_ Sure enough, the girl was disguised as a Taskforce member, sitting next to Heiji. Her eyes were wide with fear. Internally, KID cursed. Why did everything have to be so complicated?!

Suddenly a door opened, and more men filed in. One of them went up to Snake and they exchanged a few words. Though KID couldn't hear much, he did catch a name. Or perhaps, a code name. "Hyena."

Snake handed Hyena a sack, and the man proceeded to walk around the room. Everywhere he went, the officers dropped something into the bag. Understanding flashed through KID and he hissed into Hakuba's ear, "Hand me your cell phone."

The detective's eyes narrowed but he did so. Without hesitation, KID slipped it into his shoe(Yes, his shoe) just as Hyena approached. Wordlessly, he took out his own phone and dropped it in the bag. When Hakuba didn't react, the man growled out, "Give me your phone, boy."

Hakuba met his gaze coldly. "I don't have one, sir." His voice was steady.

Hyena barked out, "Search him!" Two men instantly slammed Hakuba to the floor, while a third checked his pockets and other hiding spots. Finding none, they straightened up and confirmed that he was telling the truth.

* * *

Across the room, Conan glared venomously at his captors. Suddenly he was very thankful for his identity crisis, he and Rin both had two cell phones. And he'd bet the entire Kudo mansion that KID had several. A sudden commotion caught his attention. Hakuba had just been thrown to the ground and was now being searched. Beside the British detective was an officer he recognized as Kaito.

That was the perfect opportunity. He fished out his Shounen Tantei badge, lifting it to his mouth. "Haibara!" He hissed out. Rin gave him a panicked look but he touched a finger to his lips. "Haibara, can you hear me?"

_"Kudo-kun?"_

"Listen, call the police. We're being held capt-" He stopped short as he noticed the shadow looming above him. Slowly, Conan turned his head to see the man he now knew as Hyena glaring down at him.

The man plucked the badge out of his hands and dropped it to the floor. His foot came down upon it, crushing the device. Then he stuck his face into Conan's. "Edogawa Conan, right?" He growled. "I've heard of you. Wanna-be detective, chases KID and hangs around murders. Do you know what happens to brats who can't mind their own business?" He lifted the gun, implications clear.

Conan glared directly into his eyes and retorted, "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was a bit distracted by your rotten breath."

_Smack!_

The unmistakable sound of skin on skin resounded through the silenced room. Pain exploded in Conan's cheek as the sheer force of the slap sent him tumbling. Rin screamed and many officers shouted angrily in protest. Hyena's furious voice sounded above them all. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOUR MESSING WITH, BOY?" His grip on the gun tightened, and Conan's eyes widened.

Hyena spun around, grabbed Rin by the collar, and held her up. A twisted smirk marred his features. "You two seem pretty close," he growled. The girl thrashed around in his grip, trying to free herself. Had she been her normal size, he would have been unconscious on the ground by now. But she was currently in a six year old's body, unable to do a thing. Slowly and meaningfully, the man lifted the gun to Rin's head.

Conan's eyes widened. "Don't!" He shouted. "She didn't do anything!"

A loud, raucous laugh left Hyena's mouth. Suddenly it was obvious where he had gotten the name. "But you did, boy, and bad children need to be punished."

The detective's hand flew to his ball dispensing belt as he crouched to turn the dial on his shoes.

_BANG!_

His eyes went wide as a single gunshot rang out.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN...!**

**So about the name Hyena. I'm not sure where Snake got his name, but I know that in the anime, there's character named Spider. So my guess is that they're named after predators. **

**Anyway, review. Review or else I will not resolve this cliffhanger! Nah, I'm just kidding. That would just be cruel. Plus I'm beginning to get excited. **


	14. The Countdown Begins

**Me. No. Own. DC. **

In that moment, Conan swore his blood had turned to ice. His entire body froze in sheer shock and panic as his mind went blank. He couldn't see, couldn't hear. One thought was pounding in his mind. _'Don't kill her, don't kill her, don't kill her!'_ Suddenly his heart restarted and began pounding frantically as though it were trying to leap out of his chest as sight was restored, though if that was good or bad, he didn't know. Dreading the sight that awaited him, he forced himself to look at Rin.

And to his incredible shock and relief, she stared right back. Her face was white, her eyes wide, but they still held life inside them. The glassy stare of death that was far too familiar was blessedly absent in her indigo orbs.

She was _alive._

He very nearly collapsed right then and there as the ground seemed to lurch beneath his feet. But instead the shrunken detective looked back at Hyena with pure hatred in his eyes. The black clad man was gawking at another, and Conan found his gaze following the criminal's.

An officer with a young and familiar face had grasped the barrel of the gun, twisting it up so the bullet hit the ceiling. How he had gotten there so fast, Conan would never know. A few chunks of crumbled plaster had fallen around them, the thuds they made against the floor being the only sound in the nearly silent room. Suddenly Hyena let out a snarl and jerked back, wrenching the gun out of Kaito's grip. Eyes widening, the teen rushed to the side. Another sharp _bang _resounded throughout the room, making everyone flinch. There was a spurt of scarlet blood and a loud shout of pain as the disguised thief fell to the ground, clutching at his arm. Only Kaito's experience and quick reactions had saved him from receiving a bullet to the heart.

"Dammit," Hyena growled. He once again took aim, and this time there was no way Kaito could dodge.

But it seemed fate was on their side that night (or at least wasn't being a total b*tch) for help came from a very unlikely source. At that moment, Snake decided to step in. "Don't waste your bullets," he growled. "KID's a sneaky bastard. You'll need every shot you have." Then he turned his eyes to Conan, glaring directly into the boy's eyes with a look that sent chills down his spine. There was no doubt that those were the ruthless eyes of a killer. "But if you try anything funny..." He let the threat hang. Glowering, the faux child only nodded.

With another angry growl, Hyena roughly threw Rin back at Conan. The girl squealed as she hit the ground, joined by a cry from Kazuha and furious yells from the surrounding officers. Conan quickly ran to her side, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around her trembling form. As he did this, Heiji darted forward and to Kaito's side.

"Ya alright, Kur- ah, Keiji-san?" He asked, not even bothering with a childish voice. Kaito glanced up, quickly masking his pained expression.

"Fine," the thief grunted. With some effort and assistance from Heiji, he was able to get back to his feet and slowly made his way over to Hakuba. The Osakan detective stared at him in concern as he sank to the floor, one hand still grasping his upper arm in an attempt to stop the blood from flowing. Kaito met his gaze and forced a grin, expertly hiding the pain. The green eyed boy's hands clenched into fists, but he simply turned around and stalked back over to where Aoko and Kazuha were sitting.

Hakuba glanced over at Kaito, understanding now etched upon his face. "Good job," he murmured.

Allowing his voice to drop into a slightly hoarse version of KID's, he whispered back, "I couldn't exactly let them shoot her, could I?" The British detective only nodded, but something like respect had appeared in his eyes. He then grasped his shirt and, with a hard yank, tore the material into a long strip. Wordlessly, the detective turned to Kaito and began messily bandaging the wound.

As Hakuba busied himself with that, Kaito turned his eyes around the room. His mind instantly began calculating, searching and examining the room the same way a detective would in a crime scene. The room was completely empty, no chairs or tables to be seen. Anything that could be used as a potential weapon had been removed. On the north wall (Kaito was sitting on the eastern one, while Conan was at the western) there was a long window, through which he could see another room. The thief's eyes narrowed in contemplation. On both the southern and western walls, a door could be found. Both were guarded and definitely locked.

A plan had already begun formulating in his mind when he noticed Conan. The detective had managed to calm Rin down, and was now staring at him, occasionally giving his hand a subtle jerk. Kaito nodded shortly and the boy stilled. Then his hand reached up to his shoulder, and he began tapping it.

_tap tap tap tap, tap TAP, tap tap tap TAP, tap... tap TAP TAP tap, tap TAP tap tap, tap TAP, TAP tap_

He then dropped his hand and gave Kaito a meaningful look. The sequence was instantly locked into his memory, his thoughts running wild as possibilities flew through his head. It was obviously a code, made up of soft and hard taps. His eyes narrowed. Hakuba paused in his bandaging as he noticed the change in the thief's demeanor. Soft and hard... short and long...

His eyes widened. Morse code! He began translating the taps into letters, suddenly thankful that he had taken the time to memorize the forgotten code. Four soft taps. That would be an 'H.'

**HAVE PLAN**

Kaito quickly covered his grin as he began tapping a reply.

**OK**

It took a while. The message was long, even in its summarized form. And every time Hyena or Snake passed by, Conan had to either pass his tapping off as an itch or drop his hands, and then the whole thing would be messed up. But finally, they got it. And with a grin behind his Poker Face, Kaito turned and began whispering his plan to Hakuba.

"...Ok?" He finished.

Hakuba gave him a look. "Are you crazy?!" He hissed.

"What was your first clue?" KID chuckled. Across the room, Heiji, Kazuha, and Rin were tensing. Conan's hand went to his shoe dial. With his trademark grin, the kaitou rolled several smoke bombs out onto the floor.

The room was almost immediately obscured by multicolored smoke. There were shouts from all over, some shocked, others enraged. Above all that was the sound of shattering glass as a soccer ball hit the window. KID and Hakuba leaped to their feet and darted across the room. Relying purely on memory, the thief found the door, picked its lock and yanked it open. The guard didn't even notice in his confusion. There was a slight rush of air as the others ran by and through the exit. KID was about to follow when he paused. Acting on impulse alone, he found himself running to where Heiji and Conan had been sitting only moments before. His hand flew out, miraculously making contact with another.

Triumph flaring in his chest, the phantom thief seized Aoko's hand and dragged her through the door.

* * *

The group tried to keep their panting breaths quiet as they leaned against the walls. KID did a quick head count. Heiji, Conan, Rin, Kazuha, Hakuba, Aoko.

Through the now-closed door, there were still many yells and even a few gunshots. The thief winced and silently prayed that no one was hit. Ordinarily, he would have tried to detain the gunmen, or remove the bullets. But there wasn't enough_ time._

When Conan saw Aoko, his eyes darkened with disapproval, but there was also a flash of understanding. Holding back a sigh, the tiny detective beckoned to his companions and began walking down the long hall they now stood in. They obeyed without question- what else could they do? After a while, they turned a corner, passed a few doors, and then stopped at one. Lifting a finger to his lips, KID stepped forward… and threw the door open. Hakuba quickly covered Kazuha and Aoko's mouths as they gasped. KID had managed to open the door without even a single creak, even if it was in a rather shocking way.

After checking for guards, the group filed into the room and shut the door behind them. They were in what appeared to be a large office. There was a TV installed on one of the walls, a large window covered by blinds, and several armchairs and sofas were scattered around. A desk was shoved into the corner, covered sloppily in papers and pens and a single mug filled with cooled coffee. KID smirked when he saw the message on the cup.

**I *HEART* KID**

He immediately assumed the office was a woman's.

"Alright. What's going on here?" Aoko's shaky voice sliced through the silence. Everyone tensed at the sound, but then relaxed as they realized who it was.

"Well, we just escaped from our captors by breaking a window to mislead them while actually sneaking out the door," KID explained lightly. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he continued, "I'm afraid that I've made a few enemies."

"Understatement of th' century," Heiji grumbled, only to get an elbow to the gut courtesy of Conan.

Aoko's eyes went wide. "KID?!" She nearly shrieked. They all began making frantic shushing motions. She glared, but obediently lowered her voice. "This is _your_ fault?"

KID's shoulders tensed. He glanced away, glaring at the ground. "…Yes." He admitted stiffly.

"I can't believe this!" She spat angrily. Then she flung out an arm, gesturing violently at Rin and Conan. "They almost died because of you!"

"I wouldn't let that happen." KID said softly.

"But what if you didn't make it? What if-"

"Aoko-san!" Hakuba cut in sharply. "I understand your resentment towards KID, but could you please calm down? Our main priority is to find out what these men want and hopefully bring them under arrest. Now…" The detective turned towards his rival. "Do you have any idea why they are here?"

The thief's voice was icily calm as he growled out, "You should understand by now, Tantei-san. They want me dead."

Hakuba's brown eyes narrowed. Yes, he had realized that long ago. Someone was obviously targeting KID. Snipers seemed to be the most common of assassins. He himself had gotten caught up in one of the 'extermination' attempts when Spider had come in. But his only question was…

"Why?"

Something hardened in KID's eyes. As did the eyes of Conan, Rin, Heiji, and Kazuha. The five of them definitely understood what was happening… and were keeping it a secret.

"…Let's just say we've been a thorn in each other's sides for a long time," came the grim reply. Yet there was also a hint of smugness in the thief's voice. Not quite like pride… it seemed closer to satisfaction. But that wasn't right, either. It seemed like he felt fulfilled with what he did… but at the same time he wasn't. Hakuba put a hand to his head, having just succeeded in confusing himself.

"Never mind that," a much higher voice joined in. Hakuba found himself looking at the small form of Edogawa Conan… probably the most complex and unusual child he had ever seen. "I told Haibara about the situation, hopefully she called the police and-"

As though in response to his words, sirens began wailing out the window. All seven heads turned and they rushed over, shifting the blinds so they could peer outside. Conan let out a disgruntled mutter as he realized he was too short to see, only to have Hakuba lift him up. Kazuha and KID did the same for Heiji and Rin.

Outside, several police cars were coming to a stop. Conan smirked when he recognized the red car of Miwako Sato. A movement in the corner of his eye caught the boy's attention as KID bent down, placing Rin back on the ground. The two shrunken teens watched as a hand delved into his jacket. When he withdrew his hand, a small bird was perched on it. It wasn't a dove. Instead, a small sparrow clung to his finger.

"I don't just train doves," he said with a grin. "Sparrows are fairly common, useful when you need a more subtle approach." The thief then produced a small black ring. At the sight of it, the bird ruffled its feathers and let out a high chirp. KID quickly lifted a hand, running a finger down its back lightly. "Shhh," he crooned. The girls watched in amazement as the sparrow settled and allowed him to clip the ring onto its leg.

"There," KID said, voice still soft. "I know it's uncomfortable, but I need you to bear with me. Now I need you to fly down to the red car. Fly, red car." He repeated. The bird let out another chirp.

The thief quietly pulled back the blinds and eased the window open. All he had to do was lift his hand up and the bird took off in a noisy flutter of wings.

"A recorder?" Conan asked. The grin on KID's face was all the answer he needed.

"They're very useful," the thief chuckled. "Especially for spying on a certain little Tantei-kun."

"…Stalker," Conan deadpanned.

A tense silence settled upon the room as they all waited for the sparrow to return. Kazuha had slumped to the floor, clinging to Heiji like a child seeking comfort from a teddy bear. The small detective looked embarrassed, but didn't pull away. Hakuba kept sending KID suspicious looks, while Aoko glared at him the entire time. Thoughts, speculations, and plans flew through Conan's mind as Rin gripped his hand tightly.

Finally, after several minutes of waiting, the sparrow flitted back into the room. The bird landed a bit clumsily on KID's waiting hand, allowing the thief to remove the small black ring. He found a small, almost undetectable button and pressed down. Immediately, sound poured out.

"_-not let them see you," _began Megure's voice._ "Our best option is to try and sneak inside. Shoot if necessary, do _not_ aim to kill."_

There was a chorus of agreement, only to be interrupted by Snake's voice._ "Stay where you are!" _He barked. Silence for a moment. Then,_ "That's better. Now I want you to drop your weapons and stand where I can see you. We have the entire Taskforce as hostages, we can easily spare a few. Make one wrong move and they die."_

There was an angry curse from Megure._ "Alright, you heard him. Drop your guns… I said, drop your guns!" _There were multiple clatters.

"_Now I want you all to stay here. I have men hidden all over the place, if you move, we'll know." _Snake let out a chuckle. They could hear footsteps as he walked. For a minute or so, that was the only sound. Then the man began speaking in a way that suggested he was commanding his men._ "Eagle, Cougar! Are the bombs set?"_

"_Hai. They are set to go off in three hours as you instructed." _After that there were more footsteps, then the sound of a door creaking open and shut. After a few moments, there was a flutter of wings._  
_

Face grim, KID silenced the recording. He turned to the others with his Poker Face firmly in place. Conan's eyes narrowed at the sure sign of panic.

"Not good," Heiji growled. "We've got three hours ta search this entire skyscraper fer bombs. Any plans Ku-Conan?" He corrected, remembering just in time that Hakuba and Aoko were there.

Conan clenched his hands into fists, eyes squeezed shut behind his glasses. They had three hours. The clock was turning.

His eyes flashed open, determination flashing in their depths. A humorless smirk was on his face as he thought, _'All right then. Let the games begin.'_

**Ooooh, dramatic ending! Sorry, had to do that. *hides*  
**

**So, I'm playing around with Heiji's accent. Anyone have some tips for me? And I know Kazuha, Aoko, and Rin didn't really do or say much here... sorry! It's hard when you have seven characters all in one place. Kaito is easy- you just make him throw in a teasing comment every now and then- but the others... Yeah, I'm making up a bunch of excuses, but it's true I say!  
**

**Anyway, sorry for disappearing for a while. Though I do tend to update more often than some(I just have too much time on my hands) school has started and between that and my dad's work, I can hardly ever get my hands on a computer. :/ On the bright side, my teachers are awesome! And I'm in the school news program! :D Seriously, if any of you EVER get a chance to work on the school news, DO IT. You get to run around with a camera and working in the studio is AWESOME! (And now you're all thinking "Who gives a crap about your life? GET ON WITH THE STORY!") xD  
**

**Lion is out. PEACE!  
**


	15. The Universe Just Loves to Mess with us

**Oh look. I updated this story. Hurrah. -throws confetti- ...I feel so tired right now...**_  
_

_11:05- two hours, fifty-five minutes until bombs go off_

"So here's the plan," Conan began, pacing back and forth. "Rin, Hakuba Nii-san, and KID all have cell phones. I have two, for safety reasons. If we want to find the bombs in time, we're going to have to split up. You two," he pointed at Heiji and Kazuha, reluctant to use the detective's name for fear Hakuba or Aoko would make a connection. "Will go together." He took out his earring cell phone, handing it to Heiji. The boy accepted it grimly. "Rin and I will also be a group. That leaves Hakuba Nii-san, KID, and Aoko Nee-chan."

"Hang on!" Aoko protested. "For one, why is a little kid giving us orders? No offense, Conan-kun, but you're _seven_. And there is no way I'm going anywhere with _him!" _Her last word was spat out venomously as she turned to glare at KID. The thief returned her glower with a indifferent look, merely turning his head to the side.

Conan felt his eye twitch. "Aoko Nee-chan, please. You don't have a phone and it would be idiotic for any of us- even KID- to go alone."

"Then why can't I go with a different group?" She pleaded.

Hakuba stepped in. "Aoko-san, please. ...I promised Kuroba I'd look after you in his absence, and I can't do that if I let you out of my sight. And much as I hate to admit it, KID and I work well together." Aoko hesitated at that. Emotion flashed in her eyes, and for a good minute, silence reigned. Then finally the girl let out a long sigh and begrudgingly agreed.

KID and Hakuba glanced at each other. No words were said- none were needed. After a moment, the thief nodded his thanks and turned away, Poker Face in place once again.

"Alright, we have about two hours, fifty minutes till th' bombs go off," Heiji said gravely. He was in full detective-mode, his usually rambunctious character becoming serious. "I suggest we keep in contact- check in every fifteen minutes or so. If ya spot a bomb, tell us immediately. We need ta know what kind it is. Unfortunately, we have no idea how many there are. I'm going ta guess there's one in th' captives' room, and maybe one on th' roof and ground floor, though there's no saying fer certain." The shrunken detective gritted his teeth, unaware of the strange looks he was receiving from Hakuba and Aoko.

With a roll of his eyes, Conan gave Heiji a light shove. The boy sent him a glare, snapping, "What was that fer- oh. Right." Suddenly a huge grin appeared on his face and he piped up in a voice far too cheerful for the situation, "I saw that on TV! These people were bein' held hostage in a skyscraper just like this!" He continued smiling until the two teens turned away with extremely bemused expressions.

Heiji turned his head to face Conan. "Happy now, Kudo?" He whispered.

The bespectacled boy gave him a disdainful look. "Do the world a favor and never become an actor. Ever."

Heiji glowered, obviously trying to hold back the angry outburst Conan would normally receive. After several moments of holding his breath, he calmed down and exhaled slowly before walking over to Kazuha. Without even thinking about it, he reached up to grab her hand, not noticing the startled look she shot him. "Alright," he began. "Kazuha-ah! _Nee-chan _and I will head fer th' bottom floor and work up. Ku- Conan and Rin will check the roof. KID, I'll need ya ta check around th' hostage's room. Injured or not, yer th' only one who can sneak back in without getting caught."

KID shrugged one shoulder. "I'll be fine. Now, Tantei-san, Nakamori-chan. We need to go. Ah- wait. You might need these." He reached into his pocket, pulling out two Swiss Army Knives, handing them to Conan and Heiji.

And with determination in their eyes, the group split. Hoping and praying they'd make it in time.

* * *

Conan and Rin moved in silence as they hurried through the hallways, setting a quick pace yet not running for fear of encountering one of the Black Coats. The only sound around them was their shallow breathing and quiet footsteps on the tile floor. Out of the corner of her eyes, Rin observed her bespectacled companion. It was strange to know that in the end, all her suspicions had been correct. Every time she had confronted the boy about being Shinichi, it _hadn't_ been plain desire and paranoia egging her on. No, it was the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that told her he _was_ her childhood friend, and that the childish face staring back at her was only another lie.

And though she knew he had his reasons, the lies still hurt.

Shinichi had been there the entire time. He was watching her cry and listening as she spilled her secrets to him. He had seen her _naked_, and she still intended to give him a thorough beating for that. But embarrassment aside… it was painful. To know that he was able to see her crying over him and still wear a smile.

_'But that's not fair,'_ Rin silently insisted. _'He tried to comfort you. He protected you and put his life on the line who knows how many times.' _But despite her own reassurance, the thought still nagged insistently at her.

"Yen for your thoughts?" She blinked and glanced to the side as Conan spoke, not taking his eyes off the stairs but obviously speaking to her.

She smiled slightly and breezily replied, "No, it's nothing important."

"Liar," came the blunt reply. "I know that tone of voice. Something's bothering you." He looked back at her, and even behind his fake glasses, she could clearly see the cerulean eyes of her friend.

A strange smile tugged at Rin's lips as she stopped in her tracks, one hand gripping the handrail tightly. "How.." she murmured softly. "How do you do that? You read me like a book, Shinichi."

Conan paused, too, glancing back at her. His voice was gentle as he replied, "I'm your best friend. Of course I'd know something like that."

To her shock and dismay, tears began to sting at her eyes. "And what if I don't like that? What if being my best friend isn't enough?" She was appalled to hear her own voice crack as it became difficult to speak. A pink blush formed on her cheeks as she continued, "Shinichi, you know how I feel about you. Yes, you're my best friend and I don't want to ruin that… but it's not enough. You can't expect things to go on normally between us now."

Conan's breath caught. Shoulders tensing, he glanced away. "Ran… Ran, it's complicated…."

"How?!" She demanded, not loudly but with enough force in her voice to make him flinch. "I'm only asking for an answer! Yes or no, Shinichi, do you feel the same way about me or not?"

She was silenced as Conan suddenly stepped forward. She gasped quietly as he pulled her into his chest, small arms wrapping around her. She could feel his hands tremble slightly as he lowered his chin to her shoulder. "It's complicated," he repeated. "We've been turned into seven year olds and are trying to defuse bombs that will go off in less than three hours. But I swear to you, Ran, once this is over and we can finally go home… We'll talk. But for now, we really need to move." He drew back once more to look her straight in the eyes.

Still taken aback, Rin could only nod. The bespectacled boy flashed her a tired smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her up the stairs once more. Up, around a corner, up, around a corner, up, around a corner... They kept walking in circles, going up and up towards the top. Soon their small knees were aching from exertion, their breaths coming in quiet gasps as Conan silently cursed Heiji for not assigning the roof to someone with longer legs.

Finally, they came to a door with the word **ROOF** emblazoned upon it in bold lettering. Rin turned to Conan with a small, exhausted smirk. "Think this is it?" She asked with a small breath in between words.

"What was your first clue?" He chuckled, reaching for the door knob.

...He couldn't reach. They exchanged looks of horror and mortification as they realized they were both far too short. Conan's eyebrows twitched as his friend facepalmed. "Now what?" She mumbled through her fingers.

Conan though for a few seconds before suggesting, "Well, I suppose you could stand on my shoulder..."

"NO!" Rin shrieked. The boy's eyes widened and he clapped a hand over her mouth. After a moment, he removed it, to see she was blushing furiously. "You can't- I mean, why don't- I mean. Agh! Shinichi, _I'm wearing a skirt!"_

Conan's face flushed beet red as he realized what she meant. "Ran," he spluttered. "There's are _bomb_s in here. Is this really...?" He trailed off and sighed. "Fine. You hold _me_ up then." After some awkward shuffling and clambering, Conan was balancing on Rin's shoulders, reaching for the knob. Finally, he grasped it and pushed the door open. _  
_

"Can't believe it's not locked," he muttered.

Rin only shrugged. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," she quoted. Conan only mumbled something and walked out onto the roof. Immediately they shivered as chilling wind swept around them, tugging playfully at their hair and clothes. On a silent agreement, the two not-children split up, scrambling around the roof to find what they were looking for.

"Shinichi!" Rin called. Conan glanced around to see the girl standing by the exit, waving frantically. Eyes narrowing, he hurried over to her side. On the wall where she was standing was a small device, attached with duct tape. He instinctively stepped in front of Rin as he got closer. As though that would protect her from the potential explosion.

"Stand back," he warned, ignoring her glare. He reached into his pocket to pull out the Swiss Army Knife KID had given them and flicked out the miniature screwdriver. Carefully, he began undoing the cover, until all the screws had been removed. When he finally removed it, he breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good," he murmured. "It's fairly simple. If it had been like the bomb on the elevator..." he shuddered. They didn't have the tools required to defuse such a complex bomb. But this one...

He took out one of the blades and positioned in near one of the wires. Rin's breath caught, and he yanked forward. _Snap!_ The first wire was cut harmlessly. The two friends allowed themselves to breath again, only to forget how as Conan reached forward once more. _Snap! Snap! Snap!_ One by one, the wires were sliced until it had been rendered harmless. But it wasn't until the detective replaced the cover that their hearts actually restarted. _  
_

"...Well, that's one down." Conan muttered. He stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to conceal their shaking. Then he pulled out his cellphone and quickly punched in a few numbers. It didn't even ring once before a voice answered.

_"Tantei-kun?" _

"KID. We found a bomb-" a sharp gasp on the other line. "-And defused it."

_"Any trouble?"_

"None. They're pretty simple. You remember the ones on Jirokichi's Airship?"

_"You mean when you were thrown out a window and nearly died?"_

"Yes. Now shut up and listen. Do you know how to actually defuse a bomb?"

_"Let me check."_ Suddenly his voice sounded far away._ "Oi, Hakuba. Can you defuse a bomb?" _His voice returned to its original volume. _"That's a yes."_

Conan only rolled his eyes. "Alright. I need to call Hattori now." And with that, he hung up on the thief.

* * *

KID huffed as he stared down at his cell phone. "Detectives," he muttered. "No manners whatsoever." He had changed into his usual outfit by then, claiming he could access his tools easier in it.

"...Kaitou KID can't defuse a bomb?" Aoko asked, sounding incredulous.

KID's shoulders hunched slightly. "Nakamori-chan, I can pick locks, control helicopters and planes, shoot a gun, fly a hang glider, ski, snowboard, _bring down an alligator, _and you're berating me for not being able to defuse a bomb?" Aoko lifted an eyebrow, obviously not impressed. Though she had to wonder where the alligator thing came in...

"You also can't ice skate." Hakuba added, just to spite him. KID's eyebrow twitched briefly before his Poker Face went up.

"I'm not perfect, Tantei-san," he said lightly. "Perfection is predictable, dull, boring. In other words, all the things I am _not._ What is a person without their flaws? I'll admit I... struggle... in that area, the same way you simply can not get felines of any kind to like you." A familiar grin spread across his face, and suddenly Hakuba felt the scarred cat bites from long ago tingle.

"Learn something new every day," Aoko muttered. She was clearly irritated with KID's presence, only incited further by his insistence at making small talk with her.

"So, Nakamori-chan. You now know two of my secrets and one of Hakuba's. It's only fair if you share a few of yours." Sure enough, the thief's words were directed at her once more. Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw Hakuba turn towards her, looking interested despite himself.

"Like I'd tell _you _about _any_ of my secrets," she growled back.

KID frowned, _tsk_'ing lightly. "That's not very nice of you," he scolded. "If you don't wish to speak, you could simply say so." Aoko only snorted in response. Then suddenly the thief had placed a hand on her shoulder. With a small snarl, she swatted his hand away harshly.

...And he cried out in pain, stumbling back and slamming himself against the opposite wall. Aoko scoffed at his theatrics. She shook her head at Hakuba, who had paused to look at them, and motioned for him to keep walking. But as they continued, they realized KID wasn't following. Another sharp gasp caught their attention, and they turned.

KID was slumped against the wall, hat slightly askew as his gloved hands clutched at his chest. The thief's breaths came in rasping pants as his other hand fumbled with his cell phone. The white device clattered to the floor as he shaking fingers lost their grip on it. Hakuba's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "KID, are you-?"

"Call Tantei-kun," he rasped back. As they hesitated, he snapped, "Now!" The detective sprang into action, scooping up the phone and dialing the number he had recently memorized.

_"What is it, KID?"_ Conan asked, sounding irritated. Quickly, Hakuba turned it on speaker, projecting the boy's voice to all three of them. _"KID?"_

"Tantei-kun!" KID gasped. "The antidote- I think it's wearing off."

_"What?! But it's supposed to last for-"_

"Two days, I know!" the thief growled, all traces of his gentlemanly persona vanishing. "Frankly, from the way my temperature's spiking and I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack, _I think it's wearing off."_

The boy cursed, quite vilely for someone his age. _"Alright. Do you have that package Haibara gave you?"_

"You mean... that little box... she gave me?"

_"Yes. It should hold another temporary antidote... But it's one of mine. I'm not sure how it'll effect you."_

"Brilliant," KID hissed. He reached into his coat once more, withdrawing a small case that fit inside the palm of his hand. He snapped it open and picked out a black and white capsule.

_"You sure about this? You could die, you know."_

"But if I don't... my secret is revealed... cover is blown... and we... _all_ die. Wish me luck. By the way... you're on... speaker."

Another curse. "So_ Hakuba and your girlfriend just heard everything we said."_

"She's not... my girlfriend... Tantei-kun." He turned to Hakuba with a wan grin. "Oi, Tantei-san... Any idea how long... I'll be in jail... for illegal... drug testing?" The detective only blinked at him, and KID sighed. "Well... I'm already a thief... guess it doesn't... matter either way." And with that, he popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.

And the moment he did, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

* * *

**Meh. I don't really like this chapter. It feels awkward. In any case, sorry for not updating this sooner. School and basic lack of inspiration has been getting in my way. Well, review please. I'd really like some opinion on this one.**


	16. I can't think of a title D:

Heiji growled under his breath. "Stupid Kudo," he muttered. "Hanging up on me. Who's he calling an idiot?" Kazuha would have been amused if not for the situation. To be frank, he sounded like his girlfriend had just dumped him. But she could find no humor at the moment. She was occupied by fearful thoughts, all the dreaded _"What ifs"_ coming to the very front of her mind. They were closely accompanied by the _"hows," "whys,"_ and _"whos."_ Try as she might, she found herself unable to have faith. They were in a skyscraper filled with bombs, having no idea how many and where they were. And according to her watch, more than half an hour had gone by and they had only found one bomb.

"Ya alright?" She jumped slightly at the voice. Her first impulse was to look up- the accent was undeniably Heiji's- but then she remembered recent events and found her eyes seeking out the ground instead. There he was, seven year old Heiji Hattori. In any other situation, she would have laughed. Because that was what they were supposed to do. They were meant to mock one another. Though to many it seemed cruel to make fun of one's misfortunes, it was just the opposite for them. Yelling was a distraction. When they were embarrassed, they yelled. When they were sad, they yelled. When they were angry especially, they yelled. A _lot_. Because shouting and screaming was a way to vent your emotions and put a light in both your and your companion's eyes. As irritating as it could be, that was just the way they worked.

So then why did Heiji sound so serious? "I'm fine," she muttered, but she didn't meet his eyes.

"Like hell ya are," he retorted. "If you were fine in this situation, I'd be worried about yer sanity. Besides, ya'd probably be making some idiotic remark about my height right now."

A small smile worked its way onto Kazuha's lips. It was tiny, but a start nonetheless. She opened her mouth to speak when a rattle of a doorknob reached their ears. They exchanged terrified glances, realizing that they were in the middle of a long hallway. If someone came through one of those doors... Well, they'd be in trouble, to put things very lightly.

Heiji's small hand grabbed hers and he dragged her down the hall and intro another corridor that branched off it. They pressed themselves firmly against the wall as though trying to melt into it. Kazuha swore her heart nearly stopped when they heard the door swing open. Cold breads of sweat were forming on the back of Heiji's neck. Two sets of footsteps filled the silence, steadily growing louder as their owners approached. Kazuha swallowed thickly. Heiji could see shadows in this peripheral vision. The detective refused to look at them, for fear they'd somehow sense his gaze.

_'Don't let them see us, don't let them see us,'_ his mind pleaded. He pressed himself even further into the wall with and absurd prayer that he and Kazuha would somehow turn invisible. Finally, he could see two men appear out of the corner of his eye. They were conversing quietly in angry tones, as though arguing. And as luck would have it, just because life loved to screw with Heiji, both men stopped right there in the intersection between the main hall and the branch the two friends were hiding in. Heiji's thoughts went from_ 'Don't let them see us,'_ to_ 'Oh _SHIT_ don't look over here.'_

Somehow, in his panicked haze, Heiji's mind decided this would be a perfect opportunity to eavesdrop. He tried to keep his breathing shallow as he strained his eyes, trying to pick up even snippets of their conversation.

"-fault we have to go find those damn prisoners, Cougar," One man said.

"Oi!" The other, Cougar, snapped, and Heiji felt a bit annoyed at the guy's Osakan accent. "Yer the one who tried ta argue with the boss, Falcon. If ya hadn't gotten smart with him, we could be-"

A quiet sniffling to the side caught his attention. Heiji swung his head around to stare at Kazuha, who was clamping her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were watering as she took deep, long breaths. His eyes went wide.

_'No.'_

Kazuha sniffled again, and he could see a nostril flaring.

_'Oh please no.'_

She took in a deep breath.

_'DON'T YOU DARE SNEEZE, KAZUHA!'_

And let it out in a quiet sigh of relief. Heij's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. Only to snap it back up again as _his_ nose began to itch. Unable to resist, he breathed in.

"AH-CHOO!"

_'Oh shit.'_

Three pairs of eyes snapped onto him. He cursed under his breath as Cougar and Falcon gawked at him. Evidently, they hadn't expected to find two of their targets right under their nose. All four of them were frozen. Luckily, Heiji was the first to react.

"RUN!" he yelled. He grabbed Kazuha's hand and began dragging her away. The curses of the men were quickly followed by rapid footsteps as the Black Ops gave chase.

* * *

"Well, this is just brilliant," Hakuba growled. He stared at the limp form of Kaitou KID, feeling the almost undeniable urge to kick the thief. And after that, he wanted to find little "Conan-kun" and throttle the boy for abandoning them. Once they told him KID had fainted, he had cursed, told them to wake him up, and hung up. And no matter how many times Hakuba called, the boy refused to answer. Brat.

Aoko stood silently beside him, seeming unsure what to do. After a moment she just asked, "So what now?"

The British detective heaved a long sigh. "We wake him up," he decided. "Without KID, there's not much we can do. He's crucial to sneaking back into the prisoners' room." With that, he crouched by the thief and began digging through his jacket in search of anything that could be of use. A whistle, three tubes of glue, bags of fuzzy balls, a card gun, a small shovel, multiple decks of cards, a fake wand, scissors, a mallet, slinkeys, and no less than eleven rubber bands were uncovered before Hakuba produced a bottle of water. He and Aoko stared at the pile of items that had come from KID's coat. For a brief moment, they wondered what it was all for.

A moment later, they decided they didn't want to know.

With nothing left to do, Hakuba unscrewed the bottle cap and upturned it over KID's head. The moment the water (with was somehow ice cold) hit his face, the thief spluttered and jerked into consciousness. "Whoa!" He yelled, and his voice was different from usual. KID's eyes widened as they landed on his companions.

"Naptime's over," Aoko muttered.

The thief stared at her for several moments before shifting his gaze to the detective. Realization flooded his eyes and his face became perfectly blank. KID quietly got to his feet. Strangely enough, he seemed to be inspecting his hands and clothes. After checking _something,_ his shoulders slumped in apparent relief. Hakuba's eyes narrowed. What was that about…?

"Care to explain what just happened?" Hakuba found himself asking.

"No, I do not," KID replied. There was a brief puff of smoke and the thief was once again in perfectly dry clothes. Aoko growled, clearly not liking his secretive attitude, but didn't say a word. "My apologies if I worried you-"

"You didn't," the girl cut in.

"-or detained you in any way. You could say I have certain… _health_ conditions. Very rare and with no known cure. The drug I just took was an 'emergencies only' pill that has been more or less untested by those with my symptoms." His lips crooked up in a small grin, and Hakuba had to wonder if he was coming up with this stuff on the spot. "It appears that the medicine has worked for the time being. Shall we continue?" Without waiting for an answer, he strode forward to make his way down the hall. Hakuba and Aoko exchanged bemused glances before reluctantly following.

"If I recall correctly, this should be the room." After a few minutes of awkward silence and walking, Hakuba halted in front of a door.

An unreadable grin spread across KID's face. "Excellent. If you three would excuse me." The thief silently opened the door and slipped inside. Only a few minutes had passed before he returned, dragging two men and a woman that had been bound and gagged. All were unconscious. "Chloroform," he chuckled, easing the door shut once more. "Such nasty stuff, but oh so useful."

"Remind me to never let you within ten yards of any children," Hakuba deadpanned. KID's only response was to chuck a black outfit at his face. Black pants, black long sleeved shirt, fedora, bulletproof vest, shoes.

"You would think that wearing all black would make them even more conspicuous," Aoko mused as she lifted up a vest. Then she turned her glare on both of her companions. "You two- turn around. Now." The British boy flushed and immediately whirled around.

KID smirked. "There will be no need for that." Poof! In a puff of pink, Aoko was dressed, her hair now dyed red and arranged in a way so it resembled the captured woman's short cut. With a burst of green, Hakuba could have been the first man's twin. His hair was completely hidden from view, save for black patches on either side of his head, and KID had somehow fitted contacts in his eyes to make their brown several shades darker. "You two are Fox and Tarantula. Hakuba- try not to talk much. Only speak if spoken too, and keep it brief. Nakamori-chan, do the same. But try to act cocky, like you're better than everyone else. My name will be Kodiak." There was a final puff of white fog. When it cleared, KID had completely transformed. A latex mask was pulled over his face and shaggy brown hair fell to his shoulders. "Now try to keep hour face hidden. I put masks on you, but they only _resemble_ your person. If someone gets a good look at you, it'll be obvious you're a fake. Basic plan: get in, look for a bomb, defuse it, and get out. Got it? Good."

Right before KID opened the door again, he glanced at Aoko. "Um, Nakamori-chan? I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to go…" he faltered slightly under her fierce glare. Gulping, the thief continued, "Tantei-san and I have a bit more experience in this department. I'm not sure if you should-"

"I'm _not_ going to sit here and do nothing," Aoko snapped. "My dad is in there! And seeing as this 'pill' of yours iis potentially dangerous, you could use all the help you can get." KID winced. It was almost like she had rehearsed her argument beforehand. Knowing Aoko, she probably had.

"Aoko-san, I think KID is right," Hakuba began. The glower she sent him stopped him in his tracks.

"I. Am. Going."

The two boys narrowed their eyes at her. Aoko glared right back. Oddly enough, KID was the first to relent. "Fine. You can go." He let out a long sigh. She seemed surprised, but triumphant.

Hakuba sent him an alarmed look. "But-!"

"She's a Nakamori. Arguing will be impossible. Besides," the thief lowered his voice. "I can keep an eye on her this way."

Figuring they had wasted enough time, their prisoners were quickly stored in a closet. Then KID carefully opened the door and one by one they crept inside.

** Been a while, hasn't it? Well, I kind guilt tripped myself into this and forced myself to stare at the page until I started writing. This is the result! So what do ya this k? Seems I've gotten more self conscious of my writing as of late. **

**One more thing: I'm going to try and focus of Third Victim more. However, life likes to screw with everyone and I'm kind of stressed at the moment. Just my parents being idiots. Yelling, screaming, having panic attacks (not kissing). I just wish they'd divorce already. I don't know anything about love (confession time: I have never felt any romantic attraction to another person. I young, y'know.) but it's pretty clear they don't love each other. I normally have a good temper, but I can only last so long. Had to literally dump water onnmy dad's head to get him to shut up. **

**Anyway, thay's enough of my complaints. You guys don't know me anyway. xD Hope you enjoyed this. **


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